Sea turtles make big comeback on sandy beaches at two British military bases in Cyprus

Protected Green and Loggerhead turtles are making a big comeback on the beaches of two British military bases in Cyprus, with the number of nests surpassing last year's record count by nearly 25%, environmentalists said on Tuesday.

There were 382 sea turtle nests recorded this year on all sandy beaches inside the bases - 100 more than last year's count.

Bases Environmental and Police Officer Alexia Perdiou said a decades-long commitment by base authorities to safeguard nests is paying off, given that an average of only 30 turtle nests were discovered each year on the base beaches between 1994 and 2011.

The turnaround is remarkable given that only one in 1,000 turtle hatchlings makes it to adulthood.

"The steep increase in turtle nests has been the result of a consistent, systematic 'hands-off' approach, together with enforcement efforts to minimize...