20
Jun
2019

Guidelines for protection of breeding areas of sea turtles in Cyprus

Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Caretta sea turtles (Caretta caretta) breed in the region of the Mediterranean, the former almost exclusively in Cypriot beaches. To the human eye these beaches are of extraordinary beauty and through the years the visitors’ numbers at Lara – Toxeftras protected area has increased. Thus, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research has released a Guideline on how to behave and what activities are forbidden by law at the specific breeding areas, in order to maintain the species’ wellbeing. Some examples of these guidelines are the ban of sun umbrellas, sun beds and tents to be set on the protected beach, as well as the ban of lighting fires and littering that applies for all beaches.