"The night of the turtles", a book to understand how much the seas are in danger

It all starts with a nice patatrac. Sofia posts a video, that funny guy Belva modifies it in her own way and ... the headmaster gets mad! The punishment can only be exemplary and the boys fear months without smartphones and connections. Conversely, the trouble turns into an unexpected opportunity: to be forgiven, Sofia, Belva and their companions Tommi and Zhenyi must participate in "Nature on Stage", a competition for environmental documentaries. Thus the Wild Videomakers make their debut and their first destination is an Apulian bay, where sea turtles go to lay their eggs. And with their adventure, "The night of the turtles" comes to life (Emons, 2022, pp. 192, also e-book), an amusing and very topical story in which, amidst panzerotti and interviews with experts and fishermen, the boys will discover how they live turtles, what threats they are exposed to and above all how the Mediterranean is changing, under our very eyes and almost without us noticing it.

We ask the author of the book, Andrea Vico, how the story told in the Night of the Turtles was born:

“The book was born from the urgency to always find new opportunities to reflect on the climate crisis in progress: how we got there, which behaviors are more aggressive towards nature, how to change things. It is a path of awareness that also aims to establish a renewed relationship of trust between citizens and science. It was 'inspired' by my thirty years of experience in the field of scientific dissemination: in recent years I have realized that 'classic' popularization books are no longer enough and we must also use fiction, storytelling techniques, to communicate more effectively. effectiveness".

Why the turtles as protagonists?

“Because they are a symbolic animal, which has existed for 220 million years (practically they were schoolmates of the dinosaurs) and survived everything. Now, however, they have to contend with us modern sapiens, who are seriously mistreating their habitat. Even if in reality the turtles are the pretext to talk about the ailments of the oceans and of the Mediterranean Sea in particular ”.

In his book, the boys are ultra-modern videomakers. How can new technologies help us to know and preserve nature?

“First of all by measuring the phenomena. With GPS we have discovered that every turtle wants to go and nest on the same beach where it was born, even if it has to swim 3-4 thousand kilometers. We have found that the temperature of the Mediterranean increases at more than twice the rate of average warming in other seas. We are measuring Posidonia forests, ie marine forests, and we have discovered that in the last 50 years we have lost 40% of this habitat ... From the measurements I can then trace the causes and use other technologies to solve the problem. Because the climate crisis is perfectly manageable: we have all the technologies we need. We just need to act with great determination and as quickly as possible ".

What are the difficulties in making science popularization for the youngest?

“The biggest difficulty is the adults. And social networks. The boys are very curious and very open to the future. They are also more ready for change and more resilient, more adaptable than adults. Often children 'suffer' the somewhat inaccurate ideas of adults in terms of scientific information on the climate and are therefore confused. Then there are also social networks and fake news on the environment. This book insists, among other things, on two concepts: always be critical and skeptical and, after having acquired all the information from reliable sources, think for yourself ”.

But are there turtles also in Sardinia?

"Of course! More in the southern coasts, because the water is warmer. The caretta caretta, the most widespread species in the Mediterranean, is good in Sardinia because it has large stretches of uncontaminated coast, even if it is perhaps disturbed by the raids of boats that are not quite so discreet along the coast, with overboard engines often too fast. . In Sassari, Oristano, Cagliari there are important turtle study centers and even small hospitals to treat injured turtles; and in the book, in the appendix, there is a long list of all the natural reserves and protected areas that deal with the caretta caretta ".