Marine Turtles Turkey Status survey 1988 and recommendations for conservation and management ~ WWF Marine Turtles - Turkey Status survey 1988 and recommendations for conservation and management May 1989 Prepared by World Wide Fund for Nature ~ WWF Cover picture: Akyatan beach, one of the major sea turtle nesting beaches Photograph: Max Kasparek © MAX KASPAREK Verlag . Heidelberg . 1989 BleichstraBe 1 . 6900 Heidelberg . West Germany All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieved system, or trans­ mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the permission of the publisher. ISBN 3·925064-07·9 The WWF Project Team Prof. Dr. ibrahim Baran Dipl.-Biol. Max Kasparek Dokuz EylOI Oniversitesi Bleichstr. 1 Buca Egitim FakOltesi 6900 Heidelberg izmir - Turkey West Germany Tom ABmuth AygOn Kasparek Ulrich Schmitt Ya~ar Ayylldlz C;:o~kun Keten Stephan Schmitzer Fatih Balcl ErgOn KI1I9 Bernhard Seehaus Petra Czech Josef Kreuzinger Selahattin Sezer Dr. Ethem <;:evik Yusuf Kumluta~ Gabriele Sroka Mustafa C;:oban Mirijam Langeveld Andreas Stolpe Hakan Durmu~ Dr. Mehmet Oz Cemal Varol Tok Mustafa Yigit Ergin Adem OZdemir BOlent Topaloglu Jochen Gugel Jens Rickert Murat Tosonoglu Angela Haag Marc van Roomen Oguz TOrkozan Susanne Hilfner Hasan Musa San Semih 090n90 Stefan Hiepko GOrdogar SangUl Jeroen van Wetten Viola Horner Frank Schafer Eren ZOhtilzade Yakup Kaska Hans Schekkermann Advisory Board Prof. Dr. Ragnar Kinzelbach, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Zoologisches Institut, Schnittspahnstr. 3, 6100 Darmstadt, West Germany. D09. Dr. Mehmet AtatOr. D09. Dr. SOleyman Ballk. D09. Dr. Abidin Budak, Ege Oniversitesi. Fen FakUltesi, Zooloji BolilmO. Bornova/lzmir. Turkey. , i 3 ,, Contents 1. Summary and recommendations 5 2. Introduction. ....... 9 2.1 Origin of the study ... 9 2.2 Objectives of the study. .9 2.3 Methods ....... 9 2.4 Acknowledgerr,ents. .. 11 3. Marine Turtles in Turkey . 12 3.1 General considerations . 12 3.1.1 The biology of marine turtles. 12 3.1.2 Marine turtles in the Mediterranean. 13 3.2 Previous studies . 14 3.3 The distribution area . 15 3.4 Processes affecting status and distribution of marine turtles" 15 3.4.1 Climate . 15 3.4.2 Tourist development. 16 3.4.3 Pollution . 21 3.4.4 Trawling . 23 3.4.5 Sand extraction . 23 3.4.6 Hunting of marine turtles 24 3.5 Marine turtle nesting beaches 24 3.5.1 The major nesting beaches. 25 3.5.2 other important nesting beaches. 27 4. Conservation of Marine Turtles. ........ 28 4.1 Conservation tools ............... 28 4.1.1 National parks and strict nature reserves. 28 4.1.2 The Barcelona Convention 29 4.1.3 The Bern Convention . 30 4.2 Recommendations . 31 4.2.1 General recommendations 31 4.2.2 Specific recommendations 32 5. References .................................................. 33 Annex: . Inventory of sea turtle nesting habitats ..35 iv\aps . .117 Photographs . .123 4 1. Summary and Recommendations In 1988, 2,456 km of Turkish coastline between Ku~adasl in the Aegean region and Samandagl close to the Syrian border was surveyed for sea turtle nesting activity. No nesting, or only irregular nesting, 'is thought to occur in Turkey outside this area. The survey was carried out by repeated ground patrols and track counts. Almost 100% of beaches were covered including those which loo­ ked less favourable for turtle nesting. Turtle nesting occurs on almost all physically suitable beaches from the Dalyan region in the west to the Syrian border in the east. However, the number of nesting turtles and nesting densities' varies greatly, and only a small number of beach!!s hold significant numbers and are most important for the survival of sea turtles in the Mediterranean. The fact that no significant turtle nesting occurs west of the Dalyan region is not solely for cli­ matic reasons. The lack of suitable nesting beaches is the primary limiting factor. In Turkey, two species of sea tu.rtles occur: The loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and the green turtle Cheionia mydas. Green turtle nesting is more or less confined to a few eastern beaches (Kaz­ anil, Akyatan, Samandagl). Almost all other turtle nests were made by loggerhead turtles. 13 major nesting beaches have been identified, together with 4 beaches which are of vital importance although they hold smaller numbers of nesting turtles. These are: The major nesting beaches Dalyan (no. 416) This beach has a relatively high number of nesting loggerhead turtles and plays an important role as an outpost at the western edge of the neSting grounds of this species. The Dalyan beach has been protected as a "Mediterranean specially protected area", but the final regulations for protection . have not. been issued yet. Increasing tourism is still an imminent threat to the turtles there... The Dalyan beach (4.0 km) forms a unit with the nearby beaches of Dalyanagzl (0.2 km; no. 415) !md Ekincik (0.4 km; no. 412). Dalaman (no. 421 - 425) The Dalaman beach holds even more sea turtles than the Dalyan area. It is completely unprotected. There is no tourist development on most of the beach, except the Sangerme area which is at the northern end. A solution is urgently needed to the serious pollution of the sea caused by the SEKA papermill. It threatens both turtles and human health. The length of the Dalaman beach excluding the Sangerme area is 7.2 km. Fethiye (no. 435 - 437) The northern side of the Fethiye - C;:all~ beach provides nesting habitat for an important number of loggerhead turtles. The area was designated a "Mediterranean specially protected area" in 1988. One tourist establishment is already operating. It is not known whether it has affected turtle nesting activity and whether protection measures (light screening etc.) are necessary. The length of the beach is some 4.8 km. Patara beach (no. 510 - 512) The beach on both sides of E~en C;:ayl is relatively undisturbed and holds important numbers of nesting loggerhead turtles. It is close to tourist centres and there is a threat from tourist develop­ ment at Gelemi~ village. The length ot the beach is 11.8 km and no tourist facilities are planned on the beach by the Ministry of Tourism. Kumluca beach (no. 530 - 536) This is on the eastern side of the bay of Finike and holds outstanding numbers of loggethead turtles. Problems are caused mainly by beach huts belonging to local people. The nesting zone of the turtles comprises about half of the bay which is 20.5 km long. Belek r!!gion (no. 630-651) B!!tw!!en Antalya and Sid!!, th!!re ar!! important s!!a turtl!! n!!sting ar!!as which should b!! tr!!ated as a unit. For the purpose of this report they hav!! been called the "Belek region". Th!!re are already many tourist facilities on the beach. Th!! operation of th!!s!! !!stablishments is not regulat!!d, no envi- 5 ronmental impact assessment (EIA) has been made and further tourist developments are planned. According to the masterplan for the development of tourism, they will cover the whole beach. At pre­ sent, beach huts belonging to local people cover an area of considerable size. The total length of the beach is some 30 km. Klzllot region (no. 666 - 672) This beach holds extremely high numbers and high nesting densities mainly of Caretta, but also of Chelonia. Similar to the Belek region, there is no management plan and no EIA has been carried out. Several tourist facilities are either being constructed or already operating. However, no tourist facilities are planned by the Ministry of Tourism. There are no beach huts at present on the beach. The beach is 16.6 km long. Demirta~ beach (no. 705 - 706) This beach haS become of even greater importance for nesting sea turtles since the loss of nesting grounds near Alanya. The beach lacks any protection. No tourist development is planned by the masterplan. There is evidence that the lights from a c'lmp site and hotel are disorienting mature turtles and hatchlings. The length of the beach is 7.4 km. Gazipa~a t;:iftlik beach (no. 717) This is a very small beach with an extraordinarily high number of nesting turtles. At present the habitat is not threatened. Some turtle hunting occurs. The length is 2.4 km. Goksu delta (no. 760 - 763) Important numbers of sea turtles nest on the western 'side of the delta. The site is threatened by the growth of a holiday village for local people, by pollution and by sand extraction. The area used for turtle nesting is some 10.5 km long. Kazanll (no. 804 - 805) This is one of the two most important nesting grounds for green turtles. Kazanll has an extraordina­ rily high nesting density which is unique to the Mediterranean. A number of facts threaten the turtles there, e.g. pollution of the sea from two factories, photopollution and the diminishing size of the nesting dune. The length of the beach is less than 1 km. Akyatan (no. 817 - 821) Together with Kazanll, this is the most important nesting ground for the green turtle, in the Mediter­ ranean. It is completely remote 'and unaffected by human innuences. The National Parks Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs has decided to establish a strict nature reserve. The beach is over 20 km long and turtle nesting occurs on a specific stretch of some 10 km. Samandagl (no. 910 - 912) For green turtles, this site is the third most important in Turkey. The area is' threatened by tourist development and pollution. The nesting beach is 5.0 km long. As there were great nuctuations in turtle numbers in 1988, it was impossible to determine the exact importance of the beach.