Rapid Assessment Survey for Sea Turtle Nesting in the island of Lefkas, Greece

Rapid Assessment Survey for Sea Turtle Nesting in the island of Lefkas, Greece

PROJECT REPORT

Authors: Nikos Vallianos, Kostantinos Grimanis MEDASSET- The Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles.

Correspondence to: Kostantinos Grimanis, E-mail: kostisgrimanis@medasset.gr

-NOVEMBER 2012-

LIST OF CONTENTS LIST OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... 2 1. Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Background ....................................................................................................................................... 3 3. Preparation ....................................................................................................................................... 3 4. Survey Area ...................................................................................................................................... 4 5. Project Organisation ......................................................................................................................... 4 6. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 5 7. Results .............................................................................................................................................. 6 7.i. Sea Turtle Nesting ............................................................................................................................ 6 7.ii. Beach use and Threats ..................................................................................................................... 6 8. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 7 9.

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... 7 10. Literature cited .................................................................................................................................. 8 11. Annexes ............................................................................................................................................ 9 11 A.Survey Results & Schedule ........................................................................................................... 9 11. B. Illustrations ................................................................................................................................. 10 11. C. Summary of Project Expenditure.......................................................................................... 14

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1. Summary Sea turtles have been known to nest in Lefkada from early surveys and reports from the public. We performed a two-week rapid assessment survey in July 2012 to gain a better understanding of nesting locations and intensity as well as any threats the nests and sea turtles may be facing.

The project was organized by MEDASSET in collaboration with sea turtle researcher Nikos Vallianos and the financial support of the British Chelonia Group (BCG). Our team, with members from Greece, Albania, and Serbia, was based on two camping sites on the island of Lefkada and surveyed all potential nesting beaches.

Daily beach patrols monitored potential nesting beaches to locate signs of sea turtle nesting activity. When such signs were encountered, they were examined to determine the presence of nests. All activity and nest data were recorded.

Eight non-nesting sea turtle tracks and three confirmed nests were found on four beaches during the two week duration of the survey. Two of the four beaches where turtle activity was recorded are frequented by local beach visitors during the summer, while the other two receive relatively little traffic.

The level of nesting activity on Lefkada was lower than expected. However, the low rate of activity and the lack of long-term data do not allow for meaningful assertions other than to confirm that Lefkada remains a low density sea turtle nesting site.

2. Background The island of Lefkada is located in the Ionian Sea, off the west coast of central Greece. Sea turtle nests were recorded in Lefkada as a result of ARCHELON's long-range surveys in 1990-1991. The estimated nesting intensity from those surveys was 50 nests per season for the whole of Lefkada (Margaritoulis et al., 1995; Casale & Margaritoulis, 2010, p.87), classifying the island as a moderate sea turtle nesting habitat (Margaritoulis, 2000). No systematic survey has been carried out on the island since, but nesting activity as well as sea turtle sightings and strandings have been reported by locals and the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Based on the initial reports and the unknown status of current nesting activity, we decided to carry out a new rapid assessment survey on all potential nesting beaches of Lefkada during the peak period of the 2012 nesting season. The peak nesting period was assessed based on reports from other nesting areas in the Ionian Sea (Margaritoulis & Rees, 2001; Margaritoulis et al., 2011).

3. Preparation We visited the island of Lefkada in late May and in late June 2012. The purpose of these visits was to assess the nesting potential of each beach on the island based primarily on beach type (Miller et al., 2003, p.128; Reid et al., 2005) and to conduct informal interviews with locals to gain further insight on unreported sea turtle nesting activity (Diez & Ottenwalder, 1999).

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The two visits also helped in the final design of the project, as two candidate camping locations were assessed according to their driving distances to the potential nesting beaches of the island, as well as the driving and walking accessibility of each individual potential nesting beach. This information helped us prepare the optimal survey design in terms of beach coverage and cost efficiency.

4. Survey Area All potential nesting beaches are located along the west coast of Lefkada, between cape Ammoglossa in the north, where a bridge connects the island to the Greek mainland, and cape Lefkatas in the south. The south-western coast is characterized by high cliffs rising from the sea, with sandy beaches fronting some of the coast. On the north-west, the cliffs shift to lower forested hills and mountains which end at the lagoon of Lefkada town which is encircled by a sandy strip of land. No suitable sandy beaches exist on the east coast of the island.

Seven beaches on the west coast were found to be potential nesting sites, based exclusively on beach type (sandy versus pebbles) and grain size (Mortimer 1990; Miller et al., 2003; Reid et al., 2005). These were, from south to north, Egkremni, Gialos, Megali Petra, Kathisma, Mylos, Pefkoulia, and Agios Ioannis (Illustration 6, page 13).

The beaches were geographically divided into two groups: Egkremni and Gialos, on the south-west coast, were closer together than the rest of the beaches further north. The rough terrain in the area made these two beaches difficult to access, with at least one hour driving to each from the closest camping site in Vasiliki or between them. In addition, Egkremni's final approach was only possible on foot via a steep set of about 350 steps.

The beaches of Megali Petra, Kathisma, Mylos, and Pefkoulia were relatively closer together. The road to Megali Petra was also windy and steep, and a walk of about 10 minutes was required to finally reach the beach. Mylos was only accessible after 30 minutes on foot or by swim from the town of Agios Nikitas. By contrast to these, Pefkoulia and Kathisma were easy to access by car and also hosted a number of facilities such as bars and restaurants behind the beach.

The beach of Agios Ioannis, near the city of Lefkada, was separate to the rest of the beaches and the easiest to access, with on-beach parking available and a road along the back of most of the beach. This beach is one of the main swimming locations and beach-bar outings for locals from the town of Lefkada. The beach continues further north but, due to change in composition to thicker grain and pebbles, only the southern sandy portion near the old windmills was surveyed.

Two additional beaches, Kastro and Agios Nikolaos on the Greek mainland, were thought to be potential nesting sites after informal reports by locals. During the survey period, these beaches were also visited once to check for turtle tracks and to interview more locals for the presence of sea turtle nests.

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5. Project Organization Volunteer placements to operate the survey project were announced at various web sites and through MEDASSET's network. Due to the short duration and high degree of difficulty of the project, volunteers with prior experience in field work were required. The final research team consisted of volunteers from Greece, Albania, and Serbia.

The project team was accommodated on two camping sites to facilitate a higher focus first on the south-western beaches and then on the beaches on the north-west of Lefkada. The first week was spent at a camping site near the small port of Vasiliki on the south coast of Lefkada. This location was at a closer proximity to the beaches of Egkremni and Gialos, which were the team's focus during the first week of the project. The second week was spent at Camping Kathisma, from where the beaches on the north of the island were closer.

6. Methodology The beach surveys described here were planned in accordance to methodology described by Schroeder and Murphy (1999). The purpose of the surveys was to assess the nesting activity of sea turtles on the nesting beaches of Lefkada. Nests were monitored after they were first recorded to ensure they are not confused for new nests and to assess threats in case of damage. Potential threats to the nests were also noted during the surveys.

Survey patrols were performed on foot and covered the entire length of each surveyed beach.

Initial patrols were performed by the whole team in unison to enable further training during the walks and when tracks and nests were located. Later on, the teams split into two when the access to the beach was at a relatively central location along the beach to reduce the time required to cover the beach.

When turtle tracks were located, they were differentiated into tracks with or without attempts. All tracks with attempts were further examined to establish whether a nest was present at the last attempt location along the track. In all cases, careful localized digging by hand was used to confirm the presence of eggs (Schroeder & Murphy, 1999, p.48). Relocations were not part of our methodology, and there was no case where one would be necessary. Nest protection was also not part of our methodology but we marked confirmed nests for identification by our team and beach visitors. In one case, a local animal welfare group added predation protection to a nest our team found in Agios Ioannis.

Each beach was surveyed on average every 3.4 days, with some beaches surveyed more often and others less so, mainly depending on human traffic on the beach and nesting potential based on interviews and grain size. Agios Ioannis was in occasions surveyed for two or three consecutive days in a row due to the continued emergences, possibly from a single turtle. Gialos beach was in some cases surveyed every third day. However, Gialos beach was also surveyed by a local resident who attended our initial training surveys. This helped our survey focus on the beaches of northwest Lefkada during the second week.

The location of each sea turtle activity observed and its classification were recorded in the team's log book and regularly copied on a computer. Weather and wave action estimations were also recorded.

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7. Results i. Sea Turtle Nesting Eight non-nesting sea turtle tracks were identified during the surveys. Four of them were found on Gialos beach on the first day of survey. All four were estimated to be at least three days old. One more non-nesting track was found on the beach of Pefkoulia. Three more tracks were found on Agios Ioannis. Five of the eight non-nesting tracks found on Lefkada during the survey period included nesting attempts, while the other three had no signs of digging.

Three nests were found in addition to the above mentioned tracks. Two of them were identified from turtle tracks with a nest digging pattern on their top. One of them was found on the first survey day and was estimated to have been at least three days old. One nest was solely identified from a mild mount and dip on the back of the beach which was examined for the presence of a nest through careful digging until eggs were seen.

Survey results are listed in Table 1, page 9.

During our visit to the beaches of Kastro and Agios Nikolaos outside the island, locals reported that it has been many years since they have heard of a sea turtle nest, and in recent years they have only heard of or seen stranded sea turtles (no. of stranded turtles in 2011: 35, 5 were injured and 30 were found dead and no. of stranded turtles in 2012: 15, all were found dead, source: Port Police of Lefkas, 2012). ii. Beach Use and Threats The beaches of Egkremni, Gialos, Megali Petra, and Mylos receive little human traffic during the day due to their poor accessibility and have almost no human presence during the night. The beach of Kathisma is the most popular beach-party and clubbing beach on the island, with hundreds of sun beds receiving high traffic during the day and a number of beach bars and clubs operating during the day and night. No signs of turtle activity were seen or reported on this beach.

In between the above two extremes, the beach of Pefkoulia has one beach bar and a restaurant, and is a free camping site near the quieter north end of the beach, posing a moderate threat to any nests that may be laid there.

On the beach of Agios Ioannis near the town of Lefkada, the street lights and a small number of beach bars behind the beach have resulted in reported hatchling disorientation events. Nest predation by dogs has also been reported. This beach, however, is the one with most nest reports from interviews with locals and with an interest by a local animal welfare group to help any discovered sea turtle nests hatch successfully.

Our single monitored nest on the beach of Gialos was found inundated on the 15th of July. High wave action is typical of the west coast of the central Ionian Islands. On the 17th of July, a wave height of 1.5m near the beach was observed.

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8. Conclusions Our surveys confirmed that Lefkada remains a moderate sea turtle nesting site. Nest numbers were lower than expected based on previous reports (Margaritoulis et al., 1995; Casale & Margaritoulis, 2010). Further research into beach characteristics may lead to better understanding on the underlying reasons for the low nesting density in this area. Despite the low confirmed nesting numbers, human activity on Lefkada's beaches requires moderate regulation, as northerly sea turtle nesting populations may have an enhanced significance in a balanced sex ratio of the regional population due to climate change effects (Hawkes et al., 2007). Conservation efforts carried out by locals with the backing of groups experienced in sea turtle conservation and the careful application of existing legislation should suffice to protect sea turtles and their nests while the beaches continue to be used by humans. As in many other sea turtle nesting sites, sensible management and public awareness for these beaches will be beneficial for sea turtles.

9. Acknowledgements We wish to thank our dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who helped us tremendously during this field project and last but not least the British Chelonia Group (BCG) for offering financial support that made the operation of this research project possible.

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10. Literature cited Casale, P. & Margaritoulis, D. eds., 2010. Sea turtles in the Mediterranean: Distribution, threats and conservation priorities, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Diez, C.E. & Ottenwalder, J.A., 1999. Habitat Surveys. In K. L. Eckert, K. A. Bjorndal, F. A. Abreu-Grobois, & M. Donnelly, eds. Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles.

Washington D.C.: SSC/IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No. 4, pp. 41–44.

Hawkes, L.A., Broderick, A.C., Godfrey, M. H. & Godley, B.J., 2007. Investigating the potential impacts of climate change on a marine turtle population. Global Change Biology, 13(5), p.923–932. Available at: [Accessed October 29, 2012].

Margaritoulis, D., 2000. An estimation of the overall nesting activity of the loggerhead sea turtle in Greece.

In F. A. Abreu-Grobois, R. Briseño-Dueñas, R. Márquez-Millán, & L. Sarti-Martinez, eds. Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Sea Turtle Symposium. Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, pp. 48–50.

Margaritoulis, D., Dretakis, M. & Kotitsas, A., 1995. Discovering new nesting areas of Caretta caretta in Greece. In J. I. Richardson & T. H. Richardson, eds. Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Workshop on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-361. Miami, USA, pp. 214–217.

Margaritoulis, D. & Rees, A.F., 2001. The Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, population nesting in Kyparissia Bay, Peloponnesus, Greece: Results of beach surveys over seventeen seasons and determination of the core nesting habitat. Zoology in the Middle East, 24, p.75–90.

Margaritoulis, D., Rees, A.F., Dean, C.J. & Riggall, T., 2011. Reproductive data of loggerhead turtles in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos Island, Greece, 2003-2009. Marine Turtle Newsletter, (131), p.2–6.

Miller, J.D., Limpus, C.J. & Godfrey, Matthew H, 2003. Nest Site Selection, Oviposition, Eggs, Development, Hatching, and Emergence of Loggerhead Turtles. In A. B. Bolten & B. E. Witherington, eds.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Washington D.C.: Smisthonian Books.

Mortimer, J.A., 1990. The Influence of Beach Sand Characteristics on the Nesting Behavior and Clutch Survival of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas). Copeia, 1990(3), p.802. Available at: [Accessed October 29, 2012].

Reid, K.A., Margaritoulis, D. & Speakman, J.R., 2005. Nest site selection by the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in Kyparissia Bay, Greece. In M. S. Coyne & R. D. Clark, eds. Proceedings of the Twenty-first annual symposium on sea turtle biology and conservation. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, pp.

292–293.

Schroeder, B. & Murphy, S., 1999. Population Surveys (Ground and Aerial) on Nesting Beaches. In K. L. Eckert, K. A. Bjorndal, F. Alberto Abreu-Grobois, & M. Donnelly, eds. Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles. Washington D.C.: SSC/IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No. 4, pp. 45–55.

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ANNEXES

Annex A. Survey Schedule and Results Egkremni 7/7/2012 8/7/2012

Gialos

Meg.Petra

4T1N X

Mylos

Pefkoulia

X

X

X

1T

X

11/7/2012 12/7/2012

1N

X

X

X

X

X

X

13/7/2012

X

14/7/2012

2T

15/7/2012

X

16/7/2012

X X

X

X

17/7/2012 18/7/2012

Ag.Ioannis

X

9/7/2012 10/7/2012

Kathisma

1N X

19/7/2012

X X

X

Table 1: Beach survey schedule and results. Some beaches were surveyed more frequently, based on interviews with locals and beach potential. X = no results, T = track, N = nest.

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Annex B. Illustrations

Illustration 1: Our project team included volunteers from Greece, Albania, and Serbia, a local volunteer, and MEDASSET's visiting team.

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Illustration 2: Survey teams identified, assessed, and recorded all signs of sea turtle activity on the beach.

Illustration 3: A sea turtle came on the beach of Agios Ioannis during the previous night. Locals reported seeing the turtle and taking pictures, but did not realize she had already laid and covered her nest.

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Illustration 4: The nest was identified by our team and, with careful digging, the exact location of the egg chamber was found.

Illustration 5: Due to heavy use of Agios Ioannis by locals, this nest received special treatment; it was marked with bamboo and red/white tape to avoid being walked or driven over and to enable its monitoring by a local group.

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Illustration 6: Map of Lefkada with surveyed potential nesting beaches, sea turtle emergence tracks, and confirmed nests found during the survey.

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Annex C. Summary of Project Expenditure

subtotal 1 subtotal 2 subtotal 3 subtotal 4 subtotal 5 Grand Total BCG Contribution MEDASSET Contribution

Transport (bus & ferry fairs, tolls, etc.) equipment & various accommodation fuel subsistence

271.57 € 551.58 € 624.50 € 521.04 € 271.70 € 2,240.39 € 1,754.17 € 486.22 €

Note: a detailed cost break-down (dates, description, receipt number, cost of each item) can be provided upon request.

Annex D. Project Team Project leader: Nikos Vallianos Volunteers Co-ordinator: Konstantina Kostoula Project Supervision: Kostis Grimanis Volunteers: Enerit Sacdanaku, Katherine Eshel, Ivana Petrovic, Milan Lisika, Jovana Grahovac – Sujic, Branko Sujic, Sue Lemon.

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