Dear All,

We are happy to inform you that the following report is now available on the Internet at: http://www.medasset.org/pdf/lebanon_report_2004.pdf

"Survey on sea turtle nesting activity, South Lebanon 2004" Monica Aureggi, Charbel Rizk, Lily Venizelos.

Sea turtle nesting in the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve was investigated for the first time, between 26th June and 11th August 2004, within MEDASSET’s, Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles’ ongoing project to assess potential and known nesting beaches around the Mediterranean, especially of the highly endangered green turtle, to enable the formulation of environmental management plans.

The project was in collaboration with Lebanon’s MEDWETCOAST Project and was supported by the MCS Turtle conservation Fund (UK),and included fieldwork, research and conservation, environmental education projects on the beaches, for school, university students,and MoE and Reserve personnel training.

Within the Reserve 9 loggerhead nests were recorded. A further 9 loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and 3 green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were recorded on the nearby unprotected Abbassieh beach. 2004 data for El Mansouri beach will be published elsewhere.

MEDASSET-Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles