Italy records steep decline in marine turtle nests, only 280 counted

Early August 2026 monitoring by the EU Life Turtlenest project coordinated by Legambiente counted about 280 Caretta caretta nests along Italian coasts, a sharp drop from more than 600 nests recorded in 2025 and from peaks of 486 in 2024 and 326 in 2023. The decrease is considered a natural cycle, as female turtles often skip breeding for two to three years to rebuild energy reserves.

Sicily remains the main nesting area with roughly 129 nests, followed by Calabria (50), Puglia (38) and Campania (37). WWF monitoring reported 17 nests in Calabria and 115 in Sicily, with over 550 hatchlings already emerged in Sicily. Similar downward trends have been noted in Spain and France. Researchers link the long‑term increase in Mediterranean nesting to warming waters, while the current dip does not alter the overall positive trend.