• digitized by GROMS, Map sources: Iverson (1992); Indopacific nesting beaches: UNEP-WCMC (1999)
• Copyright: GROMS/BƒN - www.groms.de

“The loggerhead is an omnivorous turtle frequently observed in temperate waters (green area). Satellite telemetry revealed migrations across the Pacific Ocean, covering more than 11,500 km between Baja California, Mexico, and Sendai Bay, Japan, within one year (Nichols et al. 2000). The absence of nesting grounds in the Central and Western Pacific remains unexplained. Protection of nesting sites was initiated in the 1970s in the United States, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. The large aggregations of Florida (USA) are closely monitored, and numbers of nests ranged between 10,121 and 68,614 (Meylan et al. 1995). The populations in the Caribbean and Mediterranean have been reduced to 100 females p.a. or less. Though the species is listed under the CMS, and is strictly protected by all Mediterranean countries under the Berne Convention, the few nesting populations are under severe pressure from tourism and coastal development (especially Zakynthos and Peloponnese, Greece). The European Community supports protection of nesting sites by LIFE programs (http://europa.eu.int/comm/life/nature/index.htm). Within a large part of its range, the species will hopefully profit from the CMS "Memorandum of Understanding covering the Indopacific and the Western Coast of Africa" (UNEP-CMS 1999).”
Riede, K. (2001): Global Register of Migratory Species. Weltregister wandernder Tierarten. Münster (Landwirtschaftsverlag), p. 263

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by Ansgar Tappenhölter