Sand groomers v turtles: how wildlife is falling foul of the demand for Insta-perfect beaches | Global development

IIn the summer months in Boglia, the south ItalyThe battle for the beaches begins before dawn. Gunmen with tractors, the beach owners settled every shortage of sand, and pulled them to take off anything big enough to be considered a waste. When the sun rises, tourists are immersed on the coast, and they often do not realize what lies a hideout under their feet.

Two feet below the surface, accurate eggs laid by marine turtles with a registered head (Carita CarretaAwaits hatching. For turtles, the beach is not a beauty spot but a home.

Since Sand Marifin who convert the beaches from vital halls into a background to take pictures, their actions had a tremendous impact on the number of turtles. Salvatore Oso, the nature of the nature and the co -founder of Carita Calabria memorizationAnd that has been watching and protecting the nests of turtles with a header since 2005. “There is still a lot of sensitivity to coexist with this type.”

Not only crush or replace eggs – it can only frighten the presence of female turtles, which prevents them from nesting.

As tourism Factors in the regionNames protected by a handful of committed experts and volunteers. Piero Carlino is the director of the Sea Turtle Recovery Center in Calimra, where he devotes summer employees to save turtle eggs. They watch the beaches on foot and with drones to discover nests, and when the nest is determined, the volunteers put a fence around it to protect it during the custody. Later, they provide support during hatching, which helps to direct turtles towards the sea. “People look at our dedication and think we are crazy,” says Carlino.

Sand GROOMERS versus Turtles is one of the conflicts between wildlife and tourists looking for perfect sites for photos that scientists and activists say they play all over the Mediterranean with a holiday season looming.

Throughout southern Europe, tourists who lead him from Instagram and Tiktok take remote areas in larger numbers, threatening local environments and biological diversity. Visitors to the region represent about A third of tourists around the worldor 330 million people in 2024 – And It is expected to arrive 500 meters by 2030.

As standards for selecting holidays, “InstagramMability” is here to stay, according to Edreams poll conductedAnd 59 % of the French agents between the ages of 25 and 34 said they had chosen the holidays because of this. the 2023 Traveler experiencesA report based on a survey that included 4000 passengers across Europe and the United States, that Instagram is now a more influential platform for tourist activities and planning.

On the Greek island of Naxos, in the Cycles, local activist Elinie Andrianobolo expresses her fears of coffee. She says that tourism expectations have been formed according to new criteria: the ideal beach for pictures, villa and display-many are prepared and chest at the expense of local ecosystems and people. “We, the people, and the place are just a decoration,” says Andrianobolo.

IIn some areas, environmental concerns are mixed with wider anger than the social consequences of involvement, and popular movements are spread in the opposition. On Naxos and its neighbor Cyclades Paros, Andranopulu and Nicolas Stephanou formed part of the international “Beach towels rebellion“The movement in 2023, protesting the privatization of beaches. Paros and Naxos are some of the islands in Greece, and its unique culture comes from the” minimum “way of life generated by the scarcity, says Stefano. The excessive construction of modern hotel complexes,” completely contradicts the tourist identity. “

Building growth can require that wet lands be drained and soil arrangement. This limits the fresh water available to 185 million migratory birds For those who are Cyclades, a vital stop. According to WWF, in the Mediterranean basin, there are a number of types based on wetlands It has decreased by 81 % in the past fifty years.

Throughout the Mediterranean Sea, local and national governments wrestle with the environmental and social effects of the involvement. Some, like Ciés is off GaliciaCreated hats on tourist numbers. Others presented fees, such as RifleWhere tourists must pay 5 to 10 euros (4.25 pounds-8.50 pounds) to enter the city, Or “visitors’ areas” and specific time strikes To keep the numbers under selection. Elsewhere, the authorities are experimenting with social media campaigns to reset tourism expectations for what they can photograph and try.

Calaanques National Park in the southeast France It is famous for its bright water, as visitors can drown from the shores of Rocky. The best width of Clifftop can be found. To calm this, some non -conscience visitors go beyond or stop their car on the rocks, and they trample endangered plants such as the settlement Astragale.

Receive the park Three million visitors per yearAnd the high falls were damaged around the tables: the rocks were photographed through endless shoes, and the soil was eroded to expose the roots of the Mediterranean pine. In response, the authorities launched the “Demarketing” campaign at Instagram. The Instagram page of the National Park Authority now features pictures of volunteering and instructions on how to behave instead of luring pictures of the park. “We want to display the garden’s fragility,” says Zakari Pruyas, the park.

In 2022, the authorities decided to limit access to some rocks to 400 visitors per day. The first results of the restrictions appear primarily, according to Bruyas. “There are some plants that grow,” he says, although we are still cautious. Nature needs time, “says Herve Menchon, deputy environment scientist in the coast in Marseille, says that restrictions will last for another five years,” so that we do not have to make them a haven. “

S.Verb of time, the social media approach to Calaanques National Park can become more common throughout the Mediterranean, with pictures of AZURE water that has been replaced for less bright clips than garbage pledge. “This protection mission is necessary,” says Mincheon. “Future generations will not be tourists!”

Some of the beach owners, such as Damiano Reale in Vivosa Apulia Resort in Marina Di Uignto, on the ion coast, take steps to protect marine turtle nests on their property. Every morning, Riley and his team achieved whether any eggs have been laid, and avoid using strong tractors and lights at night, which may spoil the turtles. If nests are found, they walk and monitor them around the clock throughout the week when the time comes.

Reale says: “It is important to make tourists, politicians and researchers understand that the smart balance between the commercial use of the beach and appreciation – whether its history or its natural events – is completely possible.”

“The region is committed to the protection of nesting Carita Carreta Marine turtles issued a decree that “it is forbidden to implement activities that may be at risk to nest and empty eggs of protected species” and that cleaning the beach must take place in a way that does not disturb the nests.

However, scientists say that these orders are not good, and are applied only to known nests – which leaves it possible for hidden nests and the reasons for reproduction to damage.

in GreeceAndriapulu says they have successfully campaign for a ban on vehicles that are used to co -be beach this year. “It is a great success that the machines that have been there for years to settle the beach will not work this year … What worries me is that the progress we make is very slow compared to the huge and rapid destruction.”

This piece is published in conjunction with the Internet magazine Magma

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