THE STORY OF THE MINING TURTLES BEGINS

Sea Turtles’ Journey Is Being Recorded

In the “Miner Turtle” Sea Turtle Research, Monitoring and Protection Project carried out in cooperation with TÜPRAG Metal Mining and Ecological Research Association (EKAD) in Manavgat Kızılot Nesting Beach, two Caretta carettas were fitted with satellite tracking devices. The sea turtles, named “Gold” and “Silver”, were sent off to the sea at Ulualan Public Beach with the participation of many environmental volunteers and scientists. The Miner Turtle Project, which was launched in Kızılot, a 16-kilometer stretch of the Mediterranean coast, one of the most important sea turtle nesting areas in the world, aims to protect the population of sea turtles.

Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) and Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle), which are seen on the Mediterranean coast and nest regularly, are included in the category of “endangered species” in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sea turtles, which are critical for the continuity of the species’ extinction and the protection of their breeding, feeding, and wintering grounds, face a life-threatening threat on the Mediterranean coast where human activity is intense.

Through this project, scientific research will be carried out on issues such as the protection of sea turtles during the breeding season and monitoring their migration routes, and the importance and awareness of sea turtles in terms of marine and coastal ecosystems will be emphasized once again.