On Marathonisi beach, Nikoletta Sidiropoulou and her colleagues from the Greek Sea Turtle Protection Society (Archelon) are crowded together, cautiously digging in the sand. They eventually locate what they're looking for: a turtle nest with up to 100 eggs.

"It's quite exciting," Sidiropoulou admits.

Endangered loggerhead sea turtles, also known as Caretta Caretta, lay their eggs on the Mediterranean island of Zakynthos, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations, with about 1 million visitors each year, including many British tourists. 

Endangered Sea Turtles

Tourists regularly breach laws meant to keep them away from nests, which has long been a threat to the loggerheads. However, a recent study shows that the Covid-19 epidemic has given these turtles a chance to breathe again.

After the dramatic drop in visitor numbers and boats in 2020, the researchers discovered that loggerhead turtles altered their behavior. During their peak mating season, turtles in Laganas Bay often migrated from warmer waters 100 meters from the shore to deeper, colder waters 400 meters away from the beaches in pre-pandemic years (May through June).

The turtles, however, remained in the warmer waters in 2020, "even when sea temperatures approached optimum levels elsewhere."

Research

The research, which was funded by Queen Mary University of London and Deakin University in Australia, suggests that "increased tourism pressure, not temperature," drove the turtles offshore, "potentially at the cost of [turtles] losing access to optimal thermal conditions that accelerate egg maturation and shorten inter-nesting intervals."

In fact, the number of nests discovered in Zakynthos in 2020 set a new high. The number of nests reported by Archelon was 1,800, the third-largest in the organization's 38 years on the island.

It's difficult to prove a relationship between turtle behavior and the reduction in tourists during Covid. "It's tough to determine the actual impact [of tourism] on turtles. Of course, they're forced to travel out into deeper water, which means they can theoretically lay fewer nests, but that's difficult to prove," says Gail Schofield, a wildlife ecology researcher and one of the report's authors.

"Definitely, it was simpler for them to come out and nest since there were no impediments for them out on the beaches at night, like loungers, umbrellas, or whatever else could be [present] during the high tourist season," she says.

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Temporary Reprieve

The reprieve may be temporary. Zakynthos is once again bustling with partygoers and dozens of motorboats in Laganas Bay, thanks to the UK government's relaxation of quarantine rules on July 19th.

Tourist Parks

As part of the Zakynthos national marine park, the turtles' nesting habitats are nominally protected, although there are frequent breaches of the laws. According to Sidiropoulou, speedboats frequently chase turtles swimming in the bay, illegally dropping off scores of visitors on the beach, where they are separated from the turtle nests only by a rope.

"There are many young visitors on Zakynthos, and most of them are unaware that turtles are breeding on the beach. Therefore they are also unaware of the regulations," Sidiropoulou explains.

According to Laurent Sources, coordinator of the Zakynthos national marine park, the only answer is finding rule-breakers, but more resources are needed.

He explains, "We can't do it on our own; we need the coastguard." Unfortunately, however, the Zakynthos coastguard's capacity is restricted with just one boat and hundreds of people and vessels to watch.

Discovering Dead Turtles

The WWF discovered a dead turtle floating near the island's major port last week, probably struck by a boat propeller, and two turtles were killed by a boat strike earlier this summer.

"Now the [government] is coming two additional coast guard boats, but it's a shame you have to wait for turtles to be killed," Sources adds.

Demetres Karavellas, the head of WWF Greece, believes the problems at Zakynthos are part of a "broader dilemma" in the country involving proper supervision of protected maritime regions.

"It's a significant problem, particularly for a country dealing with tourism. "Clearly, it isn't a major priority," Karavellas adds.

Protected Areas

Another beach on the Greek island of Zakynthos serves as an example of how to proceed: The beach of Sekania boasts the largest number of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean. It is completely protected, with all people barred from entering.

Sidiropoulou feels that tourism and healthy ecosystems can coexist and has suggested to local officials that a good first step would be to research the number of boats that Laganas Bay can handle. Still, she does not anticipate the request to be granted.

"To tell you the truth, we usually don't receive a response," she adds. "Zakynthos is a lovely island, but we want visitors to respect nature and conserve the animals that have come here for millions of years to lay their eggs," she adds.

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