A Potantial Nesting Site for Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta): Yakacık Beach, Türkiye

Year 2024, , 1 - 8, 30.06.2024

Doğan Sözbilen

https://doi.org/10.31594/commagene.1359514

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Monitoring of sea turtle nesting beaches in Türkiye have been conducted since 1988 and the number of beaches reached to 22. Mediterranean coast of Türkiye has many small pocket beaches and other inaccessible remote sandy beaches. In this study, I introduce a new nesting site, Yakacık Beach, for the loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the border of Antalya and Mersin provinces. Following the preliminary field studies on the 1.7 km long beach, 201 and 197 nests were found in 2020 and
2021, respectively, and the average nest density of the two years was calculated as 117.6 nests/km-1. Satellite images were also used to ensure and estimate the number of nests. The number of nest and the nest density were compared with the literature and Yakacık has the second highest nest density in Türkiye with a high predation rate up to 68%. The potential importance of Yakacık Beach and threats to the nesting beach and mitigation measures were discussed. Türkiye has one of the most important
nesting sites for the loggerhead turtles and the green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Mediterranean, with 17 nesting beaches identified in 1989. With the discovery of additional nesting sites such as Çıralı, Alata, Sugözü, Davultepe, and METUKocahasanlı beaches in the following years, the importance of Türkiye for sea turtle populations in the Mediterranean has gradually increased. With this study, a new nesting beach was identified and the importance of Türkiye for the Mediterranean Sea turtles was emphasized.

Keywords

Sea turtle, Mediterranean, New nesting site, Satellite imagery

Thanks

I would like to thank the Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (DEKAMER) for supporting the fieldwork.

İribaşlı Deniz Kaplumbağası (Caretta caretta) için Potansiyel Bir Yuvalama Alanı: Yakacık Kumsalı, Türkiye

Abstract

Türkiye'de yuvalama kumsallarının izlenmesi 1988 yılından beri sürdürülmektedir ve toplam yuvalama kumsalı 22'ye ulaşmıştır. Türkiye'nin Akdeniz kıyılarında çok sayıda küçük cep kumsalları ve diğer erişilemeyen uzak kumsallar bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Antalya ve Mersin illeri sınırında iribaşlı deniz kaplumbağası (Caretta caretta) için yeni bir yuvalama alanı olan Yakacık Kumsalı sunulmuştur. Toplam 1,7 km uzunluğundaki kumsalda ön arazi çalışmalarının ardından 2020 ve 2021 yıllarında yapılan
çalışmalarda sırasıyla 201 ve 197 yuva bulunmuş ve iki yılın ortalaması olarak yuva yoğunluğu
117,6 yuva/km-1 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Yuvalama dönemi boyunca yuva sayısını tahmin etmek için uydu görüntüleri de kullanılmıştır. Yuva sayısı ve yuva yoğunluğu literatürle karşılaştırılmış ve Yakacık'ın yüksek predasyon oranıyla (~%68) Türkiye'deki en yüksek ikinci yuva yoğunluğuna sahip kumsal olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Yakacık Kumsalı’nın potansiyel önemi tartışılmış ve yuvalama kumsalına yönelik tehditler ve azaltım önlemleri ele alınmıştır. Türkiye, 1989'da tanımlanan 17 yuvalama kumsalı ile birlikte iribaşlı kaplumbağa ve yeşil kaplumbağa (Chelonia mydas) için Akdeniz’deki en önemli yuvalama alanlarını barındıran ülkelerdendir. Sonraki yıllarda Çıralı, Alata, Sugözü, Davultepe, ODTÜ-Kocahasanlı kumsalları gibi ek yuvalama alanlarının keşfi, Akdeniz'deki iribaş deniz kaplumbağası ve yeşil deniz kaplumbağası popülasyonları için Türkiye'nin önemi giderek artmıştır. Bu çalışma ile yeni bir yuvalama kumsalı daha tanımlanırken Türkiye'nin Akdeniz deniz kaplumbağaları için önemi vurgulanmıştır.

Keywords

Deniz kaplumbağası, Akdeniz, Yeni yuvalama alanı, Uydu görüntüsü

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