Northern Cyprus hosts some of the most important turtle nesting beaches in the Mediterranean. Loggerhead and green turtles, both of which are endangered species, nest on the sandy beaches of Alagadi and the Karpaz peninsular in Northern Cyprus.

Marine turtles begin their lives on land, where they emerge from eggs, after 45-60 days incubation in the sand. On reaching the sea, they swim frantically out to offshore waters where they remain for the rest of their lives, the only exception being when adult females come ashore to lay their eggs. It is estimated that only one hatchling in two thousand will survive to maturity. When they are 25-30 years old, and 1-2 meters in length, adult males and females migrate to waters off nesting beaches to feed and mate.

These species are both endangered, especially the green turtle, with Cyprus and Turkey being the only known nesting sites. In 1991, with increasing awareness of the plight of marine turtles in the Mediterranean, the Society for the Protection of Turtles in North Cyprus contacted Glasgow University for assistance. This resulted in the Glasgow University Turtle Conservation Project initiated in 1992. Student volunteers work alongside volunteers from these non-governmental organizations and the local Department of Environmental Protection. Throughout the coastline of Northern Cyprus some eighty beaches are monitored from May until October.

On Alagadi beach there are nightly Turtle Project patrols to record detailed information about nesting sites and habits of the visitors. The nesting season runs from May until early August whilst the hatching season is from late July until late September. It is possible to join these nightly patrols by prior arrangement and you may be lucky enough to see a female turtle laying her eggs or hatchlings scurrying into the sea.