Turkey has banned night-time access to 21 protected nesting beaches used by endangered sea turtles, including Iztuzu, Patara and Cirali. The restriction runs from 20:00 to 08:00 between 1 May and the end of September.
Visitors can still use the beaches during the day, but camping, lighting fires, bringing vehicles onto the sand and setting up tents are all prohibited. Authorities said anyone breaking the rules faces an administrative fine of 699,245 Turkish lira, rising to 2,097,000 lira (~€40,577, ~$47,345) for companies and institutions.
The measure covers some of the Mediterranean’s most important nesting sites for caretta caretta and chelonia mydas, both listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Officials say the beaches should be left to turtles at night while people continue to use them in daylight.
The nesting season on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast begins in late April or May, when adult turtles come ashore to lay eggs, and continues until the end of September as hatchlings emerge and make their way to the sea. The country’s coastline contains some of the largest nesting beaches in the Mediterranean.
Antalya has the largest number of protected nesting beaches in Turkey, including the 30-kilometre Belek beach, described as both the country’s largest and the Mediterranean’s largest nesting area. In total, Turkey has 21 turtle nesting beaches across the provinces of Muğla, Antalya, Mersin, Adana and Hatay.
The list includes Ekincik, Dalyan, Dalaman, Fethiye, Patara, Kale, Kumluca, Olimpos-Cirali, Tekirova, Belek, Kizilot, Demirtas, Gazipasa, Anamur, the Goksu Delta, Alata, Davultepe, Kazanli, Akyatan, Yumurtalik and Samandag.
Protected areas are managed by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, which sits under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and by the General Directorate for Protection of Natural Assets, which is part of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. Warning signs have been installed to inform beachgoers of the rules.
The restrictions are designed to reduce damage to nesting habitats, eggs and adult turtles, as well as to stop illegal sand removal from the beaches. Under Turkey’s environmental law, direct harm to biodiversity can trigger penalties.
The beaches remain open to tourists in the daytime, but officials say the night-time closure is essential for the turtles that return to the Mediterranean shores every year to breed. The seasonal rule will remain in place through September.
Photo Credit: MDart10 / Shutterstock.com
