OVER 50 SEA TURTLES NEST AT KITI-PERVOLIA'S CARETTA BEACH THIS YEAR

 in-cyprus 11 August 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Over 50 loggerhead sea turtles have nested so far at the Caretta beach area of Kiti-Pervolia  this year, Melina Marcou of the Cyprus Fisheries Department told Philenews on Tuesday.

Each nest has about 80-100 eggs with an estimated 4,000 baby turtles expected to be hatched this summer, she added.

However, only about eight will manage to reach the age of 25 and return to the same beach they were born to nest their own eggs, she also said

Even though the beaches in the areas of Pervolia-Softades-Kiti are not part of the protection zone of the Natura 2000 network for turtles, the turtles and their eggs are protected in this area and throughout Cyprus.

As part of the turtle preservation programme, turtle nests in these areas are recorded and monitored.

These beaches are also monitored by drone through the LIFE Euroturtles programme.