Picture perfect Is Instagram ruining precious beach habitats?

In the summer months in Puglia, southern Italy, the battle for the beaches begins before dawn. Using tractors, beach owners flatten every imperfection from the sand, dragging it to sift out anything large enough to be considered waste.

- Vittoria Torsello Lecce Sarah Collins Athens Eliza Amouret Marseille

As the sun rises, tourists flood the coastline, often unaware of what lies hidden beneath their feet. Less than a metre below the surface, delicate eggs laid by loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are waiting to hatch. For the turtles, the beach is not a beauty spot but a habitat.

As sand groomers have been transforming beaches from vital habitats into backdrops for photoshoots, their work has had an enormous impact on the turtle population.

"Occupation of the beach by private owners reduces a vital living space for the turtle," said Salvatore Urso, a naturalist and co-founder of Caretta Calabria Conservation, who has been monitoring and protecting loggerhead turtle nests since 2005. "There is still not much sensitivity to coexisting with this species."

Tractors do not only crush eggs; their presence can scare away female turtles, preventing nesting.

As tourism surges in the region, the nests are protected by a handful of dedicated experts and volunteers. Piero Carlino is director of the Sea Turtle Recovery Centre in Calimera, where staff dedicate their summers to rescuing turtle eggs. They monitor the beaches on foot and with drones to spot nests, and when a nest is identified, volunteers place a fence around it to protect it during incubation.

Later, they provide support during hatching, helping to guide the turtles towards the sea. "People look at our dedication and think we're crazy," said Carlino.

The sand groomers versus the turtles is one of a series of conflicts between wildlife and tourists seeking picture-perfect locations that scientists and activists say are playing out around the Mediterranean as the holiday season looms.