The sea turtle breeding season has now come into full swing in Campania too. A week ago in Palinuro, precisely on the banks of the small municipality of Centola, the volunteers registered the first official nursery of Caretta caretta. And this morning the total rose to 11 nests.
He confirms this to Kodami Nicola Campomortoone of the volunteers coordinated by Anton Dohrn Zoological Station of Naples which is taking a census of the turtle nests present in the area. “AND a unique emotion find the nest with the eggs and discover the trace of the mother’s passage”, he confides.
Through the initiative Caretta in View every summer Dohrn experts together with volunteers are involved in the activities of the larger project Life Turtlenest of Legambiente for monitoring nesting until hatching.
«From 3 June to 10 August we monitor the nests on the beaches of Campania – explains Campomorto – The beaches are divided into transects so that they are easier to control, and we walk along them looking for the characteristic signs of the nests». As regards the Caserta area, three times a week the walking volunteers are supported by a ultralighta small aircraft that covers the area from Naples north to the province of Caserta.
«From August onwards we will also monitor the hatchings. Unfortunately many beaches are subject to one strong anthropic pressure and even at night there is significant light pollution which risks killing newborn babies.” The turtles that emerge from the nest buried in the sand spontaneously go in the direction of the sea horizon which appears clearer, but this optical effect is nullified if the shores are brightly lit.
«When they come out of the sand – confirms the volunteer – they go towards the artificial lights and die because they are eaten by predators such as seagulls and wandering dogs, or because they are burned by the sun. This is why it is important to find the nest in time.” Once found, the volunteers cordon it off and with a datalogger they are able to know when the hatching will take place approximately 48 hours in advance, so as to monitor the place and prevent the baby turtles from going in the wrong direction.
In Campania there are already several females who have begun to lay their eggs on the beaches of the Salerno coast in recent nights. After the first Italian nest in 2024 discovered in Sicily, Campania also kicked off its season in one of the turtle’s favorite stretches Caretta caretta in this region.
Before long, other nests were also found on the beaches of Asceawith three settlements, CamerotaAnd Poplars, Acciaroli. Beautiful locations known for the crystal clear sea and for the regular presence of nests of these splendid animals every summer season.
In these hours a single turtle was spotted by volunteers also at Mondragone, without however confirming that it has laid eggs. The first nest confirmed in the province of Caserta is a Castel Volturno.
The volunteers are taking care of the census and given the size of the area to be covered, the Dohrn is still looking for people. For actively participate in the Caretta project in sight you can write to the email address [email protected] or contact the number 3346424670.
To report the possible presence of turtles in difficulty or nests, call the Port Authority on 1530.
