Sea turtles are some of the most beautiful aquatic reptiles on this planet, and seven types of sea turtles can be found around the world today. Salty water and beaches of tropical and temperate areas are some of their habitable zones.
Sea turtles are counted among the endangered species, as several factors including human activities are pushing them towards extinction gradually. Marine debris, pollution, boat strikes and crowd are some of the major threats for lives and nesting grounds of sea turtles. However, measures are taken to save this beautiful species from extinction and in this article, we will stress on the steps you can take to let them live and breed freely.
Keep the Beach Always Clean
Garbage disposal is one of the critical issues you have to take care off. Plastic bottles and human leftover can scatter around the beach, and they can make it hard for sea turtles to roam freely across the area.
To clean the beach and make way for sea turtles, you have to clean out every discarded item like plastic bottles and bags, balloons, fishing lines and other things from the beach. Sea turtles often consider these as food and get injured or died after swallowing them. Thus, I always try to keep the beach clean and save their lives.
Avoid Night Activities in the Nesting Season
Avoiding night activities is one of the most critical steps you have to take to encourage the breeding of sea turtles. Remember, any lights on the beach can disorient sea turtles and they can move towards the crowd.
Beach fires often attract sea turtles and thy crawl toward it during the nesting season. If it is the habitable zone of sea turtles, then you have to control night activities in the area. Keep the beach clean and as much darker as possible in the night, as sea turtles always like a dark and deserted place for nesting.
Do not enter with Vehicles
Beach is the place for different activities, as most people come here to spend some quality time. However, vehicles can be a significant threat to sea turtles, and that is why you have to keep any cars or bikes away from the beach.
Tire tracks often make it difficult for sea turtles to crawl on the sand. Also, sea turtles keep their eggs under the sand and wheels can crush them any time.
Stop Using Plastic Products
Plastic made products are not only a significant threat for sea turtles but also our entire eco-system. You have to reduce the use of plastic products and accept alternatives like paper straws. Products like paper straws are 100% natural and easily disposable. The life span of plastic made products is more than 200 years, while a paper made products can get decomposed within a couple of weeks after use.
Unlike plastic straws, paper straws are biodegradable, and they take nominal time to get decomposed. They are also safer for wildlife, and you can even use them on beaches. Thus, switching to paper straws will be a great move if you want to protect the biodiversity and eco-system of our planet.