125 Contextual background information can support this interpretation. Considering that (1) loggerhead turtles reach sexual maturity by the age of 24-30 years old (Casale et al. 2011), (2) that they may exhibit fine scale philopatric behaviors, (3) that the ‘Merlet’ reserve in which are located Kie and Amere was created in 1970, and (4) that no evidence of poaching was detected within the islets of the GLS over the full study period, we could be witnessing a positive skew reflecting a historical protection from human consumption of adult turtles and eggs harvesting that was practiced by local populations until the late 1990s (Comm. Pers.). The exceptionally low nesting activity level registered on the eight islets bordering the meridional end of the mainland seems to corroborate this information (Uo, Mato, Ieroue, Noe, Puemba, Pumbo, Ugo and Nouare concentrate only 11.4% of the total nesting activity over 23% of the total available length of nesting beach linear). Their proximity to human settlements may indeed have induced a historical higher capture pressure levels, which would explain the low number of nests reported nowadays. Access restrictions on Koko have been implemented more recently (2014), but it benefits from a natural protection effect with regard to its great distance to human settlements (it is the most remote islet of the study area). Similar observations have been reported for sea turtle populations, with high nesting intensity resulting from historical preservation of nesting sites associated with limited human access (Liu 2017) or low human population density (Catry et al. 2002). Despite the protected level provided by the GLS provincial park status, this study highlights the conservation value for even greater protection of the most crucial islets to the female loggerhead turtles, and therefore argues for access restrictions on more islets during the nesting season. Selection of conservation targets should consider attractive nesting habitat to turtles, but also integrate erosion dynamics of the islets. Given that Kie, Amere and Koko already benefit from high conversation status, and that our results do not leave us to consider any serious erosion threat in the short- to medium-term, a special conservation focus should be addressed upon Atire, Gi, Nge and Vua. However, the high number of islets and the variability of nesting intensities not only between islets but also between seasons strengthen the need to adapt the geographical and temporal framework for the efficient implementation of management measures. We recommend the use of an innovative and integrated approach in order to optimize conservation benefits and socioeconomical acceptability in a context where the islets of the GLS feature touristic and recreational uses. As a first step, it requires the deployment of a monitoring effort, that would allow the early identification of the islets that are the most likely to concentrate a high nesting activity during the season. Then in a second step, seasonal and integral access restrictions could be locally applied, thus ensuring a powerful yet flexible conservation tool. This strategy would fulfill both the expectations and the commitments made by the South Province of New
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