Red LED streetlights in Antalya linked to 5,500 turtle hatchlings reaching the sea

What happened

Akdeniz Elektrik Dağıtım A.Ş. (AEDAŞ) and the Coastal Protection Association (DEKAFOK) changed street lighting to red LEDs along an approximately 11 km coastal stretch covering Side and Sorgun beaches, in Antalya’s Manavgat district.

According to Yeşil Ekonomi, citing the partners’ statement, the work was put in place in April. Its purpose was to limit hatchlings’ attraction to bright yellow and white lights after emerging from nests, helping direct them towards the sea instead.

The organisations say that more than 5,500 Caretta caretta hatchlings reached the water during the season. Following the reported outcome, AEDAŞ and DEKAFOK signed a protocol covering ongoing conservation cooperation.

For coastal operators and authorities, the immediate next step is to monitor the continuing work under that protocol and consider how lighting near nesting beaches is planned. The reported project concerns streetlights rather than a wider change to all coastal illumination.

Why it matters

Artificial lighting can affect the direction taken by hatchlings as they leave the beach. In this case, the partners used red LEDs as a practical adjustment to existing street lighting on a defined section of Antalya’s coast.

DEKAFOK president Seher Akyol said the group had worked with AEDAŞ on the approach and that the season’s result exceeded 5,500 hatchlings reaching the sea. The association also noted the low survival rate faced by young sea turtles, estimating that only one hatchling in every 1,000 reaches adulthood.

That survival context makes the reported result material for conservation planning, while not establishing an adult-population outcome. The available evidence attributes the hatchling figure to the project partners and does not provide independent monitoring data or a comparison with earlier seasons.

The new protocol indicates that AEDAŞ and DEKAFOK intend to continue the initiative in future years. DEKAFOK has also said it hopes the experience can inform work in other coastal areas, though no further locations or implementation plans were specified.