From beaches to laboratories: LIFE TURTLENEST sampling campaigns continue
As part of the LIFE Turtlenest project, in September and December ISPRA conducted sampling campaigns on nesting beaches in Apulia and Sardinia regions, respectively. LIFE Turtlenest is a European conservation project for the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) coordinated by Legambiente, focused on protecting emerging nesting sites along the Italian coasts and in the Western Mediterranean Sea.
In order to evaluate how environmental conditions influence nesting success and site selection, ISPRA conducted several field surveys aimed at studying the granulometric and chemical characteristics of sands in nesting areas.
The sampling operations consist of two phases: the site Identification locating sampling points via GPS to ensure precision and traceability and the sand core sampling, extracting sediment cores to a depth of approximately 90 cm using specific manual tools designed to minimize disturbance and prevent contamination.
Every operation is documented in dedicated technical data sheets that accompany the samples to the laboratory, ensuring reliable analysis and the protection of the coastal environment.
Twenty-three sand cores from the beaches of Apulia and Sardinia regions have been collected and deposited at ISPRA’s CN-LAB laboratories for physical-chemical characterization. The identification of the primary environmental characteristics is essential for supporting targeted conservation efforts; since the start of the project, ISPRA analyzed a total of 165 samples. The analytical results from previous campaigns were presented by ISPRA experts in Crete last November at the EMEC25 European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry.
Although the data collected so far are promising, the current sample size does not allow for definitive conclusions on how sediment characteristics may influence nesting site selection and hatching success (HS%). Future research will expand the dataset to provide a deeper understanding.
