Three marine turtle species occur in the Mediterranean Sea. The Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest here, while the huge Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is an occasional visitor, mainly in search for food.

These three species are included  in the List of Endangered and Threatened Species annexed to the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean.

In the IUCN RED List of Threatened Species, Green turtle is classified as globally “Endangered”, Loggerhead turtle as globally “Vulnerable” and Leatherback turtle as “Vulnerable”.  The Mediterranean sub-population of Loggerhead turtle is assessed as “Least Concern” (LC), but conservation dependent...