Nesting sea turtles face increasing disturbance from artificial lighting, beach tourism, and coastal development, creating welfare harms and population declines across all seven species.
Nesting sea turtles face a gauntlet of human-created hazards during what should be a brief reproductive window. Females disturbed during the nesting crawl expend enormous energy attempting and aborting nests before eventually laying eggs elsewhere or returning to sea without nesting — a significant welfare and reproductive cost. Hatchlings that follow artificial light toward hotels rather than starlight toward the ocean die of dehydration and exhaustion by morning. Communities that implement turtle-friendly lighting (amber long-wavelength LEDs), vehicle exclusions, and volunteer monitoring programs have documented significant improvements in nesting success and hatchling survival. Tourism and turtle conservation can coexist with appropriate management.