Mojacar Council Joins the “here We Save Turtles” Support for Marine Turtle Conservation

Mojácar Council, in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía, the Andaluz Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, as well as the Seville Aquarium, organized a day to support marine turtles in the municipality.

Mojácar Council has joined the awareness-raising campaign “Here we save turtles”, an initiative that aims to inform everyone about how to act when they encounter a marine turtle on our coastline. Hence, fitting in with future actions planned by the local authority, Playa del Lance beach was the setting for the installation of a large stand with educational material, where specialists in the care and conservation of turtles explained all aspects related to these creatures: from their habits and morphology to how to act correctly for their protection, whether it is when finding a nest or an injured turtle.

Many beachgoers, both children and adults, visited the stand to be informed and to listen to the experts’ explanations. Also present were the Mojácar Mayor, Francisco García Cerdá, the Environment Councillor, Sergio Alonso, and the Tourism Councillor, María Gracia Alarcón, who discussed the action protocols in the event of sightings and how the local authority can collaborate on the protection of this marine species and be prepared with a joint action protocol.

The entire corporation is very aware of this matter, as demonstrated by the important campaign running throughout the summer for good environmental practices and sustainability. This campaign and its actions will be carried out throughout the year and across different sectors involved.

It would not be the first time the marine turtle chose the beaches of Mojácar to nest. Last year, in June 2022, 20 small loggerhead turtles that were born in the municipality were returned to the sea. The turtle’s footprints in the sand were spotted by a resident, who alerted 112, triggering a whole protection and rescue network.

The laying season extends from June to the end of August, and the incubation period is about 45 days. The most common species is the loggerhead sea turtle.

The protocol when a nest is detected is to protect the area and monitor it, considering the ambient temperature as it determines the sex of the turtles: at more than 25º, only females are born, raising concerns about the threat of global warming to their survival.

In response to this circumstance, specialists decide whether to collect some eggs and incubate them in a specialized center to later release them when they reach a size that allows for a higher survival rate, and in the area where the nest was found. This approach results in an increase in the survival rate of more than 60% of the nest.