The Government launches a new campaign to protect loggerhead turtle nesting

The Minister Joan Simonet, who has called for collective responsibility and urged public cooperation, reminds citizens of the importance of knowing how to respond when encountering a loggerhead turtle or a nest of this protected species.

The 2025 season is reinforced with the release of an educational comic that explains the biology and nesting process of the loggerhead turtle. Additionally, this year will feature informational conferences across several municipalities, and actions will be intensified in protected natural areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, through the Species Protection Service of the Directorate-General for Natural Environment and Forest Management, has launched the fourth edition of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting awareness campaign. This initiative, carried out by the Consortium for the Recovery of Wildlife in the Balearic Islands (COFIB), aims to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting this increasingly common phenomenon along the Balearic coastline. The campaign will run until the end of October, coinciding with the end of the species’ nesting season.

Joan Simonet, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, has made a public appeal for collective responsibility and asked for the cooperation of both residents and visitors. Simonet emphasized the importance of knowing how to act when encountering a marine turtle or one of its nests: “In case of any suspicion, emergency services should be contacted immediately at 112 so the protection protocol can be activated.”

Simonet also highlighted that “the 2025 campaign includes several important new elements,” one of which is the publication of a 12-page educational comic titled *The Sea Turtle: A Story Here to Stay*. Illustrated by Pau Oliver, the comic explains in a didactic way the biology of the species, its main threats, the nesting process, and the proper protocol to follow when a nest is discovered. The material, created by the Ministry’s technical team, is available in Catalan, Spanish, and English, and is intended for all audiences, especially educational centers.

Meanwhile, Anna Torres, Director-General of Natural Environment and Forest Management, stated that “this year, informational conferences will be promoted in municipalities, and actions in protected natural areas will be intensified.” The distribution of informational stickers with QR codes—started in 2022—will also continue. These stickers link to an explanatory video available in five languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, German, and French. These materials are distributed at beaches, tourist offices, town halls, ports, yacht clubs, diving centers, and tourist establishments throughout the archipelago.

The Government reminds the public that sea turtle nesting along the western Mediterranean coast, including the Balearic Islands, has been increasing progressively in recent years. This rise is considered an indication of active colonization of a new reproductive area, a process likely linked to climate change and rising sea temperatures.

Since the first recorded but unsuccessful nesting attempt in Ibiza in 2015, the presence of nests in the Balearic Islands has grown. In 2019, the first confirmed nesting occurred, also in Ibiza, followed by three more in 2020, two in Menorca and one in Ibiza. In 2023, six nests and three nesting attempts were recorded, while in 2024 a nest was confirmed in Can Pastilla (Palma) and an attempted nesting in Mallorca in July.

Traditionally, loggerhead turtles nest mainly in the eastern Mediterranean, with the western part considered a feeding area. Climate change now appears to be facilitating reproduction in new regions. In light of this, the Government reaffirms its commitment to the protection and conservation of this species. Therefore, awareness campaigns are crucial to ensuring its survival.