engleski

Loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: present knowledge and conservation perspectives

The Mediterranean holds a remarkable loggerhead breeding population, with morphological and genetic differentiation. The noted population substructuring (at least at the level of nesting females) makes the Mediterranean population as a whole more vulnerable, and breeding colonies must be considered as separate management units. Although progress has been made in the protection of some nesting areas, providing adequate protection to additional significant nesting beaches is a priority action. The implementation and enforcement of legal measures specified for nesting beaches and the improvement of the effectiveness of beach management are also priority issues. At the same time there is a need to identify the different management units and assess the anthropogenic impacts affecting them, across all habitats. Fisheries interaction should be of special concern, taking into account that early juveniles use oceanic habitats in both Mediterranean basins, while large juveniles and adults exploit neritic habitats confined to the eastern basin. Conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean is a complicated endeavor involving many nations and a diversity of human activities on land and at sea, requiring both a regional approach and considerable effort at the national level. The provisions of the Action Plan, in the context of the Barcelona Convention, and the ensuing priorities for its implementation are a great step towards this goal.

loggerhead sea turtle, reproduction, population structure, migrations, marine habitats, threats, by-catch, conservation

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