Threatened Species: Turtles

Marine turtles find themselves at the forefront of the battle against climate change.

They are already threatened by many other factors, including fishing where they can meet a cruel end as by-catch in a net or on a hook, through garbage as they choke on a floating plastic bag mistaking it for a jellyfish, or through the destruction of nesting beaches.

As climate change sets in, it hits them on many fronts:

• sea-levels rise leading to erosion of nesting beaches;
  
  
• hotter summers mean higher sand temperatures, which can lead to changes in sex ratios or prevent eggs from hatching;
  
  
• warmer ocean temperatures often lead to coral bleaching and other damage to coral reefs, which are their essential feeding habitats;
  
  
• changes in ocean currents can modify migrations paths and feeding patterns and disrupt the natural annual cycle on which these species have relied for millions of years;
  
  
• more extreme rainfall can raise ground water tables, thereby flooding nests.