Marine litter can shift sea turtle nests toward the shoreline

2026/02/19 by Diana Sousa‐Guedes, Adolfo Marco, Maria Medina +2 · 3 voices
Environmental Science · #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Turtle Biology and Conservation #Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses

paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/oik.11975

openalex created_date 2026/02/14 · openalex publication_date 2026/02/19 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Marine litter is an emerging threat to sea turtle rookeries, yet its effects on nesting behaviour remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how macro‐litter accumulation on beaches influences the spatial distribution of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta nests on Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde. We mapped litter across 40 surveyed beach sections and combined these data with nest locations and control points. Our results revealed that females tend to nest closer to the shoreline when litter is more abundant, overriding natural mid‐beach nesting preferences. We suggest that marine litter adds a new dimension to the phenomenon of coastal squeeze, further reducing the availability of suitable nesting habitat. The mechanism identified is likely relevant in other major nesting areas where litter accumulates, potentially reshaping habitat use for other populations worldwide. Our findings highlight the indirect consequences of marine litter and the need for further research on its ecological implications.

Citations

• When Good Animals Love Bad Habitats: Ecological Traps and the Conservation of Animal Populations
• Where is positional uncertainty a problem for species distribution modelling?
• Plastic and marine turtles: a review and call for research
• Global mass of buoyant marine plastics dominated by large long-lived debris

Discussions

• New paper published in Oikos!! We revealed that females tend to nest closer to the shoreline when litter is more abundant, overriding natural mid-beach nesting preferences. doi.org/10.1002/oik.... [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]
• Females of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta tend to nest closer to the shoreline when marine litter is more abundant. Marine litter contributes to coastal squeeze, reducing nesting habitats. We mappe [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
• Females of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta tend to nest closer to the shoreline when marine litter is more abundant. Marine litter contributes to coastal squeeze, reducing nesting habitats. We mappe [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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