Italy: record number of sea turtle nests

It was an extraordinary year for sea turtles(Caretta caretta) on Italian coasts: 2024 saw a 30 percent increase in the number of nests compared to 2023. In fact, as many as 601 were detected.

The increase is attributed to two factors: the monitoring and nest protection effort by volunteers under the Life Turtlenest project, and rising sea temperatures. The latter, attributable to climate change, has expanded the turtles’ nesting range.

An estimated 40,000 turtles will be born this year, but only 1 in 1,000 will reach adulthood.