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      World Turtle Day: 20 Caretta Caretta turtles rescued in 2020 with the help of Rio Mare

      On the occasion of World Turtle Day, our brand Rio Mare announces that in the last year 20 specimens of Caretta Caretta turtles have been rescued thanks to the partnership with the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area.

      On the occasion of World Turtle Day, our brand Rio Mare announces that – thanks to the partnership with the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area – in the last year 20 specimens of Caretta Caretta turtles, injured by the impact with boats or the ingestion of floating plastic waste and fishing lines, have been rescued. The turtles have been healed in the “Sea Turtle Recovery Center” in Favignana and, after the cures, 8 of them have already been set free.

      The rehabilitation of the animals was made possible thanks to the valuable collaboration between Rio Mare and the Egadi Islands MPA, one of the first projects of this kind both in terms of duration and investment made by private individuals in Italy, which in five years has managed to recover and save over 80 turtles of the Caretta Caretta species. The company has begun to support the First Aid Center in 2014 through the purchase of technical materials (such as satellite tags, tanks for turtle recovery, and materials for the teaching rooms), and has contributed to the creation of a proper Recovery Center for Caretta Caretta sea turtles in Favignana: this important recognition allows the specialized team of the center not only to provide first assistance to the species in need but also to keep them monitored throughout their hospitalization, until they are healed and released.

      As regards the “Marine turtle tracking” project financed by Rio Mare, once the turtles are healed, the operators of the Center release them back into the sea after equipping them with a satellite tag under the scientific supervision of the University of Pisa – Department of Biology. This system allows to follow the paths of the turtles and continue the monitoring of the specimens treated at the Turtle Center, to know their routes, the kilometers traveled, as well as to deepen the knowledge of both the species and their habits.

      “We are proud to be continuing this partnership, a concrete example of the company’s commitment to the sustainability of fishing and the protection of the resources and the animal species that populate our seas,” commented Luciano Pirovano, Global Sustainable Development Director of the Bolton Group Food Business Unit.

      “In fact, our entire sustainability journey is based on transformative partnerships. We join forces with influential players, who represent a point of reference in their own field because we believe that this is the only way to really change things. The partnership with the Egadi Islands MPA represents an added value for us, aimed at enhancing the natural resources of our country, improving marine ecosystems, and creating a closer and more direct relationship with local communities. In this path, we also want to be an example for future generations and involve the youngest, which will be at the heart of the sustainability challenge going forward “.

      This important partnership is aimed at safeguarding biodiversity and natural resources through various projects, such as the activity to protect the largest Posidonia oceanica prairie in the Mediterranean, able to regulate the absorption of CO2 in the sea and in the atmosphere. Posidonia plays a fundamental role in the well-being of the Mediterranean Sea and the entire marine ecosystem, so much so that it is considered a proper “Amazonian forest” underwater, and it is precisely for this reason that Rio Mare has decided this year to make a concrete commitment to safeguarding this species and to plant, in an initial phase, about 2000 new Posidonia beds during the current year.

      To protect this plant, the company has funded the MASTER Project (Anti-trawling Measures for the Protection and Repopulation), through the installation of 40 bollards positioned on the seabed of the Marine Protected Area of the Egadi Islands, which have contributed to an 85% decrease of trawling in the prohibited area, which is one of the main threats to Posidonia meadows. In addition to this, Rio Mare has also contributed to covering the management costs of the Monk Seal Observatory, located on the island of Marettimo, to monitor the presence of specimens of the species but also to carry out research.

      In order to make tomorrow’s consumers more aware of environmental sustainability, the project has been expanded with activities for classes of all school levels, which include an educational part on the ecology and threats of the species, in addition to a visit to the centers. The activities have been repeated over the years, addressing the invitation in particular to schools nearby the Egadi Islands MPA and achieving the participation of about 20 classes per year.