Over 100 turtle nests have been recorded on designated Sovereign Base Area (SBA) beaches since the beginning of May, its environmental department announced on Wednesday.

Bases environmental experts co-ordinate turtle conservation for protected Green and Loggerhead turtles with a focus on a “minimum intervention approach”.

With an estimated one in 1,000 hatchlings only making it to adulthood, the work of the department also relies heavily on volunteers walking nesting beaches daily to identify turtle tracks.

“Turtle nests are demarcated with a protective aluminium cage and a small warning sign and nothing else is done until they hatch,” said senior environmental policy advisor Alexia Perdiou.

“Hatchlings are left on their own to make their way to the sea without any supervision or assistance and their first crawl across the sand is essential for imprinting the characteristics of the beach, which enables them to return to the same beach years later to nest as adults. Human interference disrupts this vital natural instinct.”

Nesting turtles and hatchlings emerging from nests are very sensitive to disturbance, so a lot of effort is put into protecting nesting beaches, she added.

“This includes habitat management work such as restricting access to nesting beaches and enforcement work to prevent and address illegal, damaging activities such as overnight camping, lighting fires, walking dogs and late-night beach parties with strong lights.”

Enforcement plans also ensure restaurants operating on beaches comply with legislation including prohibiting the placing of sunbeds and umbrellas on the seashore between 7pm and 7am.

“Any disturbance to a turtle, nest or hatchling is prohibited under the SBA Protection and Management of Nature and Wildlife Ordinance and is liable to imprisonment for three years, a fine of up to €17,000, or both,” Perdiou continued.

The previous two years have seen record numbers of turtle nests on the beaches within the SBAs and Perdiou is hopeful that the systematic, science-based conservation practices and rigorous enforcement will see similar success in 2025.

“We hope that the 2025 nesting season will be just as successful,” she said. “We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with volunteers, NGOs, local authorities and the Republic of Cyprus departments and their commitment and partnership have contributed to this remarkable result.”

She also urged all beachgoers to play their part in turtle conservation: “People visiting nesting beaches play a critical role. We urge them to report illegal activities or sightings of stranded turtles to the SBA Police on 1443.

“Together we can continue to protect these charismatic creatures and the ecosystems they depend on.”