Citizen Science: Recording of Sporadic Nesting of Sea turtles across the Aegean

02/07/2025

Every summer ARCHELON covers in total almost 100 km of beach in Greece, with organized daily action, recording and protecting Loggerhead nests. But we cannot be everywhere! For over four decades, many people have been participating in an extraordinary action, reporting turtle sightings and tracks across the Greek coastline. We are grateful to all of you who responded to our call all these years.

Whether it was a turtle emerging to nest, some tiny hatchlings making their way to the sea, or just the characteristic tracks left on the sand, every report helped build a bigger picture of sea turtle activity in the Aegean Sea. In the early days, reports came in through handwritten notes and phone calls. Today, with a dedicated online platform and even social media, your contributions are easier than ever to share—and more important than ever.

What We Learned Together

Thanks to your interest, we have confirmed 577 unique nesting events outside our regularly monitored areas—an incredible testament to citizen power in conservation.

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Crete topped the list with 309 nesting events, likely due to warmer southern waters!
Nesting was also reported as far north as Lesvos, Magnesia, Halkidiki, and even some non-nesting emergences in Samothraki and Limnos!
Every confirmed sighting was supported by photographs, helping us verify the species—all Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles!
In many cases, you did not just report nests—you protected them following the instructions provided on your website as well as on the calendar ARCHELON sends every year to all Port Authorities.

sporadic nest reporting

Why This Matters

Most loggerheads always return to nest to the same beach they were born. However, some females during their travels make nests on beaches that are unknown to us. These sporadic nets can be found in any suitable beach in the southern Aegean (south of 39°N) and your eyes on the ground help us find them. Your reports have helped identify new nesting hotspots, and are expected to give insights of the adaptation of the species to climate change in the Mediterranean.

Beyond the practical value of citizen science, we understand this is more than just data—it is a story of thousands of people who care for nature on our planet. Your passion, curiosity, and quick thinking have helped protect one of the Mediterranean’s most iconic species. Read the recently published results by ARCHELON here.

Thank You. Keep watching, keep reporting, and keep protecting. If you find a nesting turtle, tracks or hatchlings fill in our Registration Form.

We can all live together! This is our motto since 1983!

Inspections in Zakynthos and Kyparissia by representatives of the Bern Convention

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