The 2026 summer season along the Torre Guaceto nature reserve and on the Adriatic coasts between Ostuni and Casalabate, in Puglia, has written an extraordinary page for the protection of marine biodiversity. Thanks to an unprecedented mobilization coordinated by the Management Consortium, 229 specimens of Caretta caretta sea turtle managed to break their shells and reach the open sea safely.
The intensive surveillance and monitoring activity, which started with the first nest recorded on 30 June and continued without stopping from 13 August to 21 September, made it possible to successfully follow 5 nests out of the 10 total events monitored, offering an exceptional sign of hope for the conservation of the species along the Italian coasts.
The faces and stories of the true protagonists of the company
Behind this biological triumph beats the heart of a united and tireless community, made up of over 70 people including residents and visitors who took turns keeping watch on the sand day and night. Among the volunteers, the figures of Marco stand out, a 9-year-old boy who stayed up until dawn to witness the delicate stages of hatching, and Pasquale, a 75-year-old activist defined by the Management Consortium as the symbol of dedication without age limits. The strength of this human chain even involved a family originally from the Czech Republic, who, having arrived on the beach as a simple tourist, decided to extend their holidays in Puglia in order to concretely contribute to the protection of the nests and the little ones in danger.
Security measures and the challenge against artificial light
The survival of the newborns required targeted and rigorous interventions to avoid the dangers associated with coastal urbanization, first of all the disorientation caused by the artificial lights of roads and factories, capable of attracting the puppies towards the asphalt and meeting a tragic end. To deal with this threat, the Municipalities of Brindisi and Ostuni have issued ordinances aimed at prohibiting access to the affected beaches, requiring the switching off of commercial signs and replacing mechanical means of cleaning the coast with strictly manual methods, a virtuous choice also applied by the Rosa Marina Consortium to guarantee absolute protection to the nesting sites.
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