MEDASSET urges governments to improve protection of important Mediterranean sea turtle habitats

We are just back from Strasbourg, France, where we participated in the Bern Convention’s annual meeting at the Council of Europe (3-6 December 2013). The Bern Convention provides a unique forum for NGOs to present complaints and reports, with the aim to bring international attention to local and national conservation problems and encourage governments to take action to protect vulnerable habitats and species.

For the 25th year in succession, we presented the conservation problems that we documented during 2013 in important sea turtle nesting beaches in the Mediterranean. As a result, the Convention decided to monitor the conservation status of the following sea turtle habitats and work with the responsible national authorities to step up their protection:

– Turkey: Kazanli (C. mydas), Fethiye (C. caretta) and Patara (C. caretta)
– Greece: Southern Kyparissia Bay (C. caretta). Case presented in collaboration with ARCHELON (the Sea Turtle Society of Greece)
– Cyprus: Akamas (C. caretta & C. mydas). Case presented by Terra Cypria

For further information, please click here to view MEDASSET’s Announcement and reports.