Exploration of potential nesting sites & design of conservation measures in Albania: Interim Report

Exploration of potential nesting sites & design of conservation measures for sporadic nesting in Albania Interim Technical Report MAY 2019 A report by the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET)

PREFACE

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AUTHORS

Enerit Sacdanaku, Vicky Rae

CONTACT DETAILS

MEDASSET - Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles 1c Licavitou St., 106 72 Athens, Greece | T/F: + 30 210 3613572 medasset@medasset.org www.medasset.org

COPYRIGHT

Production and dissemination in full or in part of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorised without any prior written permission provided the source is fully acknowledged and cited.

All Photos (unless otherwise specified): © 2018 MEDASSET, photo E. Sacdanaku Editing & Layout: Liza Boura.

CITATION

Sacdanaku, E., V. Rae. 2019. Exploration of potential nesting sites & design of conservation measures for sporadic nesting in Albania: Executive Summary of Interim Technical Report. By the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET). 5 pp.

DISCLAIMER

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A warm thanks to the student team (Endora Celohoxhaj, Elvira Xhemalaj, Ledi Selgjekaj, Arta Gjini & Enes Duraku) for their major contribution in successfully conducting the 2018 survey. Thanks are due to Oasi WWF Policoro-Herakleia for kindly sharing the 2018 nest data. We are grateful to the Director of the National Agency of Protected Area in Albania (Mr. Zamir Dedej) and to all PA staff for their assistance and collaboration. We also thank the authorities of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment for their assistance to this project (CITES permission for exporting genetic samples). Lastly, we express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Gail Schofield for her advice and support.

ABOUT MEDASSET

With roots back to 1983, MEDASSET was founded in 1988 in the UK and in 1993 in Greece. It is an international NGO registered as a not-for profit organisation in Greece.

MEDASSET plays an active role in the study and conservation of sea turtles and their habitats throughout the Mediterranean, through scientific research, environmental education, advocacy and awareness raising. The organisation is a partner to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and a Permanent Observer-Member to the Bern Convention, Council of Europe, since 1988.

In Albania, MEDASSET has successfully completed two major projects, delivering important scientific findings: the “Rapid Assessment Survey of important marine turtle and monk seal habitats in the coastal area of Albania” in 2005 and “Monitoring and Conservation of Important Sea Turtle Feeding Grounds in the Patok Area of Albania” in 2008-2010. Subsequently, in 2011 MEDASSET prepared the “Management Recommendations for Drini Bay” and the “Action Plan for the Conservation of Sea Turtles and their Habitats in Albania” which was adopted by the Ministry of Environment in 2012.

PREFACE

The survey “Exploration of potential nesting sites & design of conservation measures for sporadic nesting in Albania” report is part of the regional project “Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region“ which is with funded by the MAVA Foundation and is implemented by ARCHELON, DEKAMER, MEDASSET, MedPAN, NMPZ, RAC/SPA (leader), WWF Greece, WWF Turkey.

PROJECT COORDINATION

Liza Boura, Yiannis Marinos (MEDASSET)

PREFACE

Please consider the environment before printing this document

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PREFACE

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Executive Summary Major and minor sea turtles nesting sites are well known for the Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) across the Mediterranean. Although sea turtles exhibit high fidelity to their breeding grounds within their life history, sporadic nesting events occur and have been recorded in Mediterranean countries (e.g. Spain, Italy), which typically do not have breeding aggregations. Recently, research has increased in these areas, especially as concerns of the affect of climate change, in particular rising temperatures, on sea turtle populations, their distribution and suitability of current nesting sites.

Albania’s coastline spans across two regional seas within the Mediterranean, the Adriatic (north) and the Ionian Sea (south). Sea turtles were first documented present in Albanian waters in 1960 and monitoring of the local population has since concentrated within the marine environment.

Previous research has determined important areas for over-wintering and development grounds for the species Caretta caretta and recorded the presence of green turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Information of nesting activity across Albania has been collected since 2002 by the Herpetofauna Albanian Society (HAS), consisting of anecdotal reports until 2017, when the first empirical evidence of a nest was recorded with photographic evidence of hatchlings on the beach.

Under the scope of a Mediterranean regional wide funded project by the MAVA Foundation, in 20182019 MEDASSET is implementing a project to (1) collect data to establish the suitability of Albania’s coastline to support viable sea turtle nesting and (2) carry out systematic monitoring for nesting activity; the latter to be implemented fully in the second year (2019) of surveying.

Protocols were designed with support from Dr. Gail Schofield, for collecting data on beach suitability parameters; substrata elevation, compaction, using a combination of traditional methods (line transect, theodolite etc.) and innovative technology (Drone).

Both methodologies are used to record the anthropogenic activities at each site, mapping

Executive Summary

spatial extent with drone surveying and recording anthropogenic activity in the field with an adapted “Rapid Assessment of Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beaches 2017” from WWF Greece.

Surveying in Albania is led by Dr. Enerit Sacdanaku, who is supported by a dedicated team of trained Master students of Tirana University.

Approximately 191km of coastline was identified through Google Earth for further data collection and divided into 158 beach sectors with assigning codes. In total, 132 beach sectors were checked on site visually during the 2018 surveying, with 26 remaining not visited due to accessibility issues.

On-site observations of the 132 beaches, excluded 91 beaches as unsuitable due to substrata type and high levels of anthropogenic activity (tourism).

Data was collected on the suitability of nesting parameters for 41 beach sectors, at 49 sites as some beach sectors were over 10km long.

Transects were conducted at all sites, and drone flights at 29 sites. For each transect performed, data collection for elevation and anthropogenic activity was defined up to a 500m radius of the transect. In the use of the drone for data collection, this area was defined up to the flight time of the drone battery (max <1500m). For the 29 maps produced with the drone imagery, using DroneDeploy software, an elevation toolkit was applied to measure the elevation height above sea line to identify and calculate suitable nesting areas.

The suitability of the 49 areas was assessed according to the parameters - substrata type, compaction and elevation - and ranked as either ‘HIGH’, ‘MEDIUM’ or ‘LOW’. On further analysis one site was excluded due to substrata type and the remaining 48 sites were categorised as follows: 13 ‘LOW’ suitability; 18 ‘MEDIUM’ suitability; and 17 ‘HIGH’ suitability.

An overall assessment of anthropogenic activity was conducted for the 48 sites, but further data collection, analysis and recommendations for conservation measures will be carried out during the remaining duration of the project and presented in the final report.

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