Loggerhead sea turtles return to natal beaches to nest across decades, facing hazards from beach development, light pollution, and human disturbance that affect individual welfare and population viability.
Female loggerhead turtles hauling themselves ashore to nest are vulnerable, exhausted animals performing an ancient biological imperative. Bright artificial lighting on developed beaches disorients them during the nesting emergence, causing some to return to the sea without nesting successfully. Hatchlings that emerge and move toward artificial lights rather than the sea become dehydrated and die. Beach vehicle traffic crushes nests and hatchlings. These are preventable welfare harms caused by inadequate regulation of human activity in nesting areas. Successful recovery of loggerhead nesting populations in Florida demonstrates that relatively modest interventions — lighting ordinances, beach access restrictions during nesting season, and nest protection programs — can produce dramatic welfare and conservation benefits.