The baby turtles released into the sea on Héloué Beach in Batroun, by Adel Assal, president of the municipal Environment Committee, and volunteers from the city on Aug. 17, 2026. (Photo provided by Adel Assal)
The nesting of sea turtles on Lebanon’s beaches is generally associated with southern sites like Mansouri (Sour), certain coasts in Beirut (Ramlet al-Baida), or in Mount Lebanon (Jbeil). This year, however, good news has come from the north of the country, from the touristic city of Batroun, where turtle eggs have hatched this summer for the second year in a row. The event received special attention from the municipality, activists, and the public.
"The nesting of sea turtles has been observed in Batroun for the second consecutive year, on the coast we call Heloué, which is partly managed by private beach resorts, while another part is open to the public," explained Adel Assal, president of the Environmental Commission of Batroun’s municipality. Last summer, he said, both the nesting and hatching of the eggs surprised nearby residents, who were not expecting it. "Given that the coast is a tourist spot and there are many light sources on the beaches, the baby turtles followed the lights and headed toward the resorts instead of the sea; fortunately, the locals reacted quickly and redirected them back to the water," he related.
This year, the municipal Environmental Commission did not want to take any chances and closely monitored the season in cooperation with experts. "Starting at the end of June, we observed the turtles’ nesting and identified the locations where it took place," said Assal. The official says that three nests were found; one already hatched Monday, another is expected before the end of the month, and a third by the end of September.
The reptiles observed in Batroun belong to two species: loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas). "These species used to be abundant in Lebanon, but their numbers have drastically declined due to the various threats they face in the Mediterranean," noted Assal, who says he comes from a family of fishermen.
Raising awareness by example
Once the nests were located, volunteers gathered by Assal used a technique adopted by Mona Khalil, the famous activist recently killed by an Israeli strike on her home in Mansouri. "To protect the nests from human activity, we cover them with wire mesh," he explained. After that, the volunteers carefully smooth the sand around the nest, which allows them to spot any movement indicating the eggs are hatching: indeed, when the eggs hatch, they break and cause a slight depression of the sand covering the nest.
The official enthusiastically recounted this first hatching in Batroun: "Because this first nest was located in a very busy spot, we took the baby turtles [loggerheads] and carried them in a bucket to an area where they could reach the sea safely. The event attracted crowds, which is always useful to raise public awareness about the actions that can help preserve endangered species."
The question remains as to why only in the last two years have hatchings occurred in Batroun. "It’s true that for several years we did not see turtles on our coast, but it should be noted that there are very few sandy beaches here, and currents often change the shape of the beaches, sometimes bringing in large amounts of sand or emptying them of sand altogether. Turtles prefer to return to the beach where they were born, but if that’s impossible, they move to other sites in the Mediterranean," he explained.
In any case, Batroun’s municipal Environmental Commission appears determined to implement a protection system for these small creatures.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
