Marine Turtle Conservation in the Mediterranean
ADDENDUM to st
Report for the 21 Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) under T-PVS (2001) 70
CONSERVATION PRIORITIES FOR THE GREEN TURTLE (Chelonia mydas) IN TURKEY
Samandag Sandwinning in August 2001 Submitted by MEDASSET – Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles Photographs and new information provided by Samandağ Çevre ve Turizm Derneği
Samandag is a 10.3 Km long beach in the province of Hatay, Turkey, close to the border with Syria. It is a Chelonia mydas nesting beach. There is a long history of intensive sand extraction from Samandag beach, indeed between 1973 and 1991 Antakya Governorship permission allowed sand extraction to the extent that a section of 10-15 metre high dunes was excavated down to ground water level. (FD report September 1999). Although no longer officially sanctioned, sporadic sand extraction during the following years contributed to a continuing degradation of this highly important green turtle nesting beach, one of the three most important in Turkey. In the summer 2001, the Municipality of Samandag has extracted large amounts of sand from the beach, for use in constructing and repairing streets and pavements in the town. An application to the Public Prosecutor by the “Association for Environment and Tourism in Samandag” failed to stop these activities. The green turtle nesting beach suffers greatly from these illegal activities, which reduce the size of the nesting area and give rise to further beach erosion.