Iztuzu Beach is a 4.5 km long beach near Dalyan in the Ortaca district of Muğla province in southwestern Turkey. The beach is a narrow piece of land that forms a natural barrier between the freshwater delta of the Dalyan river and the Mediterranean Sea. Iztuzu Beach is one of the main breeding grounds for sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea and is therefore often referred to as Turtle Beach. Caretta caretta are listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the beach has had a protected status since 1988 and is part of the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area.
The greatest threat to the survival of loggerhead sea turtles is on the...