A recent scientific study has confirmed the presence of a population of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting for the first time documented on Ghedhabna Beach, on Tunisia’s eastern coast.
Over three consecutive nesting seasons (2023–2025), an average of nearly 40 nests per year were recorded, making Ghedhabna the second most important nesting site in Tunisia, after the Kuriat Islands.
The study, supported by SPA/RAC, is led by the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies (INSTM) in collaboration with the association Notre Grand Bleu and local communities. The research combined intensive field monitoring with interviews of 120 residents, scientifically confirming what until now was known only through occasional observations.
In addition to ecological data, the study highlights the crucial role of local knowledge and community involvement in detecting and understanding these new nesting sites.
This discovery represents an important step in understanding the evolving distribution of marine turtles in the Mediterranean.
The research also points to several threats affecting nesting success, including marine litter, uncontrolled beach activities, and natural predation.
This discovery builds on decades of conservation work. SPA/RAC and numerous stakeholders have monitored and protected marine turtles in Tunisia and across the Mediterranean, with particular focus on the Kuriat Islands, the country’s main nesting site. These actions are part of the Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean, implemented under the Barcelona Convention.
Photo of Olfa Chaieb