Libya: Qubeiba Beach nesting site demolished for a power plant near Sirte; turtle programme interrupted
- My Qubeiba Beach, described by The National as one of Libya's most active nesting sites, was demolished in 2009 during construction of a power plant near Sirte. The National
- 358 nests were recorded at five beaches near Sirte in 2009, according to MEDASSET. MEDASSET
In 2009 construction of a power plant near Sirte demolished Qubeiba Beach, which The National described in 2023 as one of Libya's most active nesting sites. A UN-funded turtle programme was interrupted by conflict, and volunteers continue without funding.
Described by The National (2023) as one of Libya's most active nesting sites.
Status As of April 2023 (latest source): the UN-funded programme had been interrupted by conflict and volunteers were continuing without funding; the plant owner and the area of Qubeiba lost are not on record.
- Loggerhead nesting at Qubeiba Beach — The beach was demolished in 2009; 358 nests were recorded at five beaches near Sirte that year The National
What happened
Surveys in 1995 found 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte. The Libyan Sea Turtle Programme was launched in 2005. MEDASSET records 550 nests in 2006 and 841 in 2007 at 28 beaches, and 358 nests in 2009 at five beaches near Sirte.
In 2009 construction of a power plant near Sirte demolished Qubeiba Beach, described by The National in 2023 as one of Libya's most active nesting sites. The plant operator is not named in the sources reviewed.
A UN-funded turtle programme was interrupted by conflict, and volunteers continue without funding. The National reports 494 nests on one stretch in 2022 against 271 in 2011. A volunteer told The National: "We are tackling a problem that the state has been unable to solve."
- 1995Surveys find 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte
- 2005Libyan Sea Turtle Programme launched
- 2009Construction of a power plant near Sirte demolishes Qubeiba Beach; 358 nests recorded at five beaches near Sirte (MEDASSET)
- 2022494 nests on one stretch, against 271 in 2011 (The National)
What was said
“We are tackling a problem that the state has been unable to solve.”
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- Surveys in 1995 found 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte.
- MEDASSET records 550 nests in 2006 and 841 in 2007 at 28 beaches, and 358 nests in 2009 at five beaches near Sirte.
- The National (April 2023): construction of a power plant near Sirte in 2009 demolished Qubeiba Beach, described as one of Libya's most active nesting sites.
- The National (April 2023): a UN-funded programme was interrupted by conflict; volunteers continue without funding.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Record
- None on record None on record: the area of Qubeiba Beach lost.
- None on record None on record: the owner of the power plant and the year it was commissioned.
- Disputed Unclear: the nest counts are not directly comparable between years because the number of beaches surveyed differs (28 beaches in 2006 and 2007; five beaches near Sirte in 2009).
Did the harm stop?
Qubeiba Beach was demolished in 2009; the sources reviewed give nest counts for one stretch in 2011 and 2022 but do not say whether Qubeiba nesting resumed.
Who paid?
No compensation, fine or funding figure is on record; the UN-funded programme was interrupted by conflict and volunteers continue without funding.
Sources
Press and investigations
- The National report on turtles finding refuge in war-torn LibyaThe National · 2023-04-20
Communities and civil society
Connected cases
- Anamur (Karaagac) Beach, Mersin, Türkiye: Bern Convention file 2019/5 and Recommendation No. 226 (2024) Türkiye · 1998–2026
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Co-complainant
- EU LIFE funding for loggerhead conservation, 2002-2029 European Union · 2002–2029
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Source of the LIFE MareNatura figures
- Fethiye and Patara nesting beaches, Türkiye: Bern Convention files and recommendations, 1996-2025 Türkiye · 1996–2025
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Complainant (2012)
- Kyparissia Bay (Thines Kyparissias), Greece: construction, roads and beach use at a loggerhead nesting site, CJEU C-504/14 (2016) Greece · 2010–2025
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Bern Convention complainant (2010); intervener before the Council of State (MEDASSET Hellas)
- Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece: National Marine Park, Bern file 1986/8 and CJEU C-103/00 (2002) Greece · 1986–2025
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Bern Convention complainant (1986)
- Limni Bay / Polis-Gialia golf and villa resort, Cyprus: infringement procedure closed (2019), land sold (2025) Cyprus · 1995–2025
- MEDASSET (NGO) — here: Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys; there: Bern Convention complainant (1995)