KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — On a secluded beach, a group of volunteers carefully retrieve newly laid sea turtle eggs in the sand and move them to a shady, cooler location, in response to fears by researchers that warmer weather is leading to fewer male hatchlings.
The temperature of the developing turtle eggs is what determines sex. Observers at the Chagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary on Pulau Redang believe they are already seeing fewer males being hatched due to climate change — with the situation made worse by prolonged hot and dry spells caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
“Sea turtle conservationists are concerned that uncontrolled global warming in the future, in the next 15, 20, 30 years, will be detrimental... because it will feminise sea turtle hatchling populations,” Nicholas Tolen, a researcher at University of Malaysia Terengganu said.
Moving nests to shadier spots or irrigating them with water has been proven to help lower incubation temperatures, though the success of the sanctuary’s programme is still being measured.
Such methods are preferable to artificial incubators, which could disrupt sea turtle hatchlings’ understanding of the earth’s magnetic field, affecting their orientation and ability to nest, the researchers said.
— Reuters
