Conservationists consider the North African country’s 1,800km stretch of relatively undeveloped Mediterranean coastline to be one of the world’s most important refuges for loggerhead turtles burying their eggs. Recognisable by their large, brawny heads and reddish-brown, heart-shaped carapaces, loggerhead turtles were listed as a threatened species in 1978 under the US Endangered Species Act. Each year, thousands of loggerhead turtles drown in fishing boat dragnets, ingest toxic plastics and have their nesting grounds demolished by urban development. Nesting sites around Libya are on the rise, said the group, known as the Libyan Sea Turtles Programme. Despite the enormous challenges, the last few years have been relatively good for loggerhead turtles.

Source: Libya Today April 20, 2023 02:12 UTC