Mediterranean monk seal conservation efforts

Conservation efforts for the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal are being implemented across the Mediterranean to combat habitat loss and human-induced mortality. In Antalya, Turkey, researchers report that approximately 120 adults live along the coast, with human factors such as entanglement in fishing nets causing three-quarters of seal deaths. To mitigate these threats, the Alanya Nature Conservation and National Parks Directorate has established a protection working group to clean breeding caves, adjust sand structures, and install camera traps for monitoring.

In Greece, monitoring efforts in the Alonissos–Northern Sporades National Marine Park have recorded two new pups, following an earlier sighting in September. Scientists are observing a behavioral shift where seals have begun giving birth and nursing on open beaches rather than in caves, which experts suggest indicates the animals feel secure within the protected park areas. Greece remains a vital region for the species, as it hosts approximately half of the global Mediterranean monk seal population.