How do beach erosion and coastal construction affect sea turtle nesting habitats?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

Beach erosion and coastal construction pose significant threats to sea turtles, which are reptiles that rely on stable, sandy beaches to nest and lay their eggs.

Coastal development and erosion reduce the amount of suitable habitat available for females to bury their eggs. When beaches erode, the area of dry sand—essential for successful incubation—diminishes, often forcing turtles to nest in suboptimal locations where eggs are more vulnerable to tidal inundation or predation. Furthermore, coastal structures can create physical barriers that prevent females from reaching nesting sites or obstruct hatchlings as they attempt to navigate from the nest to the water. Protecting these coastal environments is an ethical imperative to ensure the survival of these species, as human-driven habitat loss directly undermines their natural reproductive cycle.1