Educational campaign to reduce the impact of artificial light on sea turtle nesting beaches in Brazil.

Abstract

Several important stages of reproduction by sea turtles normally take place at night, under the cover of darkness on beaches. Artificial lights on or near beaches often reduce the number of female sea turtles that emerge from the ocean to nest (Witherington, 1992; Ehrhart et al. 1996). When females do lay their eggs on beaches that are subject to artificial lighting, seafinding of the resultant hatchling turtles is often disrupted and they often go away from the sea (e.g. Philibosian, 1976; Peters and Verhoeven, 1994). Misoriented hatchlings face increased mortality from land predators, accidental trampling by people or vehicles, or desiccation following sunrise. Development of coastal areas, in the form of homes, hotels, industrial complexes, and recreational areas, leads to an increase of nighttime lighting. Unchecked lighting on beaches used by sea turtles can have serious impacts on nesting populations, and as such management of lighting on or near beaches is a priority for most sea turtle conservation programs.