A team of researchers from the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom, has identified two large enclaves in the Mediterranean where green turtles go to feed.
These experts have proposed the creation at these points of marine protected areas , environments in which it is intended to conserve and promote the recovery of this endangered species.
After tracking 34 of these reptiles for more than a decade from their breeding grounds in Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Syria, scientists found that green turtles typically forage in ten locations in the Mediterranean, especially near the shores of Libya, in the gulfs of Bomba and Sidra, where the two most important are found.
Professor Brendan Godley, from the Ecology Center of the aforementioned British institution, who has coordinated the trial, highlights that the protection of these sanctuaries would greatly benefit green turtle populations.
As indicated in a report published in the magazine Diversity and Distributions , these have experienced a significant decline mainly due to the fact that they have been persecuted for their meat and accidental catches made by fishing vessels.
Photo: Peter Richardson
