Aggiornamento sulla nidificazione della Tartaruga marina Caretta caretta (Reptilia Cheloniidae) in Sicilia. Riflessioni sul valore della Citizen Science

Updating of egg-laying of Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Reptilia Chelonidae) in Sicily.Remarks on the value of the Citizen Science. The aim of this paper is to put together data on the egglayingby the Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta in Sicily, mainly after recordings by amateurs,tourists and occasional observers. 25 nesting events by this turtle are reported in the main island in2017 and 2018. Comparing these figures with past records, they appear very high; it may be in partdue to an awareness campaign carried out in the last years to solicit such reports. This suggests thatSicily may host a much higher nesting population of the Loggerhead sea Turtle than previouslythought. However, the number of nests recorded in the last years is not due to an increase of thepopulation, but to a higher nighttime beach enjoyment by tourists and local people. Thus, the egg-laying sites of this turtle are really more vulnerable than previously believed, and the risk valueshould be currently raised, even if the population is supposedly increased. Because of the importanceof the turtle conservation as “flag species”, that may yield beneficial results to other marinespecies (e.g. sharks, dolphins, etc.), a higher monitoring effort is recommended, especially in certaincoastal lines.