Aggiornamento sulla nidificazione della Tartaruga marina Caretta caretta (Reptilia Cheloniidae) in Sicilia. Riflessioni sul valore della Citizen Science

Updating of egg-laying of Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Reptilia Chelonidae) in Sicily. Remarks on the value of the Citizen Science. The aim of this paper is to put together data on the egglaying by the Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta in Sicily, mainly after recordings by amateurs, tourists and occasional observers. 25 nesting events by this turtle are reported in the main island in 2017 and 2018. Comparing these figures with past records, they appear very high; it may be in part due to an awareness campaign carried out in the last years to solicit such reports. This suggests that Sicily may host a much higher nesting population of the Loggerhead sea Turtle than previously thought. However, the number of nests recorded in the last years is not due to an increase of the population, but to a higher nighttime beach enjoyment by tourists and local people. Thus, the egg-laying sites of this turtle are really more vulnerable than previously believed, and the risk value should be currently raised, even if the population is supposedly increased. Because of the importance of the turtle conservation as “flag species”, that may yield beneficial results to other marine species (e.g. sharks, dolphins, etc.), a higher monitoring effort is recommended, especially in certain coastal lines.