Nesting range expansion of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean: phenology, spatial distribution and conservation implications.

Global warming is affecting habitat quality and availability on our planet and some species are predicted or are by now changing their distribution range. Here we show that loggerhead turtles have already started to expand their nesting range into the Western Mediterranean, which has until recently hosted only sporadic nests. We compiled information on nesting activity from beaches surrounding the Western Mediterranean and collected metadata on loggerhead turtle nests in Spain, France, Italy, and Tunisia between 2010 and 2020 to provide an exhaustive overview on the phenomenon of emerging new nest sites for loggerhead turtles. The number of recorded nests has increased drastically since 2013 from 1 to 3 nests/year to a record number of 84 registered in 2020. While this increase may partly be explained by grown awareness and reporting by citizens, there is no doubt of an upward trend in nesting activity. The nests are unevenly distributed over the study area with most nests occurring on the coasts of the warmer Tyrrhenian Sea. A hotspot analysis identified beaches in SW Italy, SE Sardinia, and NW Tunisia with statistically significant clustering of nests. Within these hotspots, three beaches in SW Italy and one in Tunisia had nests at least four out of the five last years. Nesting phenology corresponds to that of Eastern Mediterranean rookeries, and mean hatching success of naturally incubating, non-manipulated nests was 66 %, although there was variability across the region. Mean incubation durations also varied between countries indicating a diversity in inferred sex ratios, with sufficient female production to foster future colonisation of this region. Unfortunately, these beaches are already under high tourist pressure and subject to intense coastal development, imposing many threats to the females, eggs, and hatchlings. Thus, while this study reveals the unique opportunity to witness and study an ongoing new colonisation process in loggerhead turtles, it also calls for urgent proactive conservation actions to mitigate these threats and allow the turtles to establish new rookeries

Protected Areas of West Africa: What is the Future for Animal Biodiversity?

As a result of the development of human activities, protected areas very often represent the only spaces where biodiversity can be maintained. In West African states, they are limited in area, usually corresponding to less than 3 % of the total national land surface (such as in Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Ghana), sometimes from 3 % to 10 % of total land surface (such as in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana) and very rarely m..

Evaluation du descripteur 1 -« Biodiversité -Tortues marines » en France métropolitaine. Rapport scientifique pour l'évaluation cycle 3 de la DCSMM

The third cycle of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) takes place between 2024 and 2030. The directive aims at reaching (or maintaining) the Good Environmental Status (GES) in all European waters, following a cyclic framework allowing to continuously improve the monitoring, assessment and management of European waters. In 2012 and 2018, years of GES assessment reporting for cycles 1 and 2 respectively, GES for marine turtles could not be evaluated quantitatively, as data collectionframeworkswerenot operational and methodological developments required further work. The past years were marked with major advances on assessment methods for marine turtles following several experts’ workshops. Furthermore, the implementation of monitoring tools allowed for the acquisition of additional datasets increasing our knowledge on marine turtle populations in European waters. The present report presents the extent of current knowledge on marine turtles for the third cycle of MSFD in French waters, as well as the remaining knowledge gaps that need filing. Links between the MSFD evaluation and other international agreements (regional and European) are highlighted as well.La période 2024-2030 marque le 3e cycle de la Directive Cadre Stratégie pour le Milieu Marin (DCSMM). Celle- ci a pour objectif une atteinte (et/ou un maintien) du Bon Etat Ecologique (BEE) dans toutes les eaux européennes, et ce suivant un processus cyclique permettant une amélioration continue de la surveillance, l’évaluation et la gestion de ces eaux. En 2012 et 2018, années de rapportage de l’évaluation du BEE pour les cycles 1 et 2 respectivement, le Bon Etat Ecologique pour la thématique Tortues marines n’avait pas pu être évalué quantitativement, en raison de dispositifs de collecte de données encore trop peu opérationnels ou de développements méthodologiques non aboutis. Les travaux menés entre experts européens sous l’impulsion de la France sur les tortues marines ont permis ces dernières années des avancées non négligeables en termes de méthodes d’évaluation des populations. En parallèle, le déploiement des dispositifs de surveillance a permis l’acquisition de nouveaux jeux de données renforçant notre connaissance des populations de tortues marines dans les eaux européennes. Ce rapport dresse donc le bilan des connaissances disponibles pour le cycle 3 à l’égard des tortues marines dans le périmètre français de la DCSMM ainsi que les lacunes qui doivent encore être comblées. Les liens avec d’autres accords internationaux (régionaux et européens) y sont également mis en avant

Valorisation des données de tortues marines en vue du développement d’indicateurs en appui aux politiques environnementales (DCSMM et Conventions des Mers Régionales). Rapport de la phase 1 (2019)

Sea turtles are listed in multiple European Directives (MSFD, Habitats Directive) and Regional Seas Conventions (OSPAR, Barcelona Convention). Five critera (four primary and one secondary criteria) are considered for the evaluation of Good Environmental status in the framwork of MSFD Descriptor 1 (Biodiversity). However, unlike for other marine species, the tools and knowledge required to evaluate the status of sea turtle populations within the different marine regions are currently largely lacking. To fill these gaps, France launched a 2-year national study, based on the consulation of international experts, in 2019. The goal of this study is to developp indicators for the evaluation of the Good Environment Status of sea turtle populations within the framework of the MSFD, in harmony with other environmental policies (Habitats Directive and Regional Seas Conventions). This report describes the methods employed during the first phase of the study (2019), preliminary results of the analyses based on data shared by international experts and members of the french stranding networks and reports on the discussions that occurred during the first expert workshop of November 25, 2019 organized by the MNHN. Approaches explored during the first phase of the study are promising and recommandations proposed by experts will be further examined in 2020