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Recent research has revealed that the northern Great Barrier Reef's green sea turtle offspring are born almost completely female, with males outnumbered by at least 116 to 1. If this feminisation trend continues, it will be detrimental to the future of the species. So, why is this happening?

The sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature of sand incubating the eggs. Warmer temperatures, of 29.1 degrees Celsius and above produce females, and cooler temperatures produce males.

Increasing temperatures as a result of climate change means more females are born, disturbing the natural gender ratio. It's possible that the population of sea turtles could be completely female in the near future.

This is of critical concern to the longevity for many marine turtle species. Without males, the species cannot reproduce, and the combination of this with other threats such as poaching, fishing bycatch and loss of habitat, means we are at risk of losing these majestic mariners forever.

What are we doing?

The support of Koala has allowed us to work with partners including the University of Queensland, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the Sea Turtle Foundation to launch a new research project to trial practical methods to cool the sand temperature of sea turtle nests.

Over three months, a range of cooling methods were trialled on Milman Island nesting beach in the northern Great Barrier Reef for both hawksbill and green turtles. These included natural shade from palm fronds and pandanus leaves, artificial shade, seawater irrigation and rainwater.

After months of trials and research analysis, the results are in!

Shading and irrigation have shown to be successful in cooling nests and producing more male hatchlings. Hatchlings from shaded nests were also faster and more active, which means they have a greater chance of survival 48 hours after emerging from their nests.

While Milman Island does not yet have a feminisation problem it offers ideal conditions to trial methods to cool nests. Through this research WWF-Australia aims to find the best method to re-establish a more natural gender ratio and which can be scaled up for use in remote areas and on Raine Island, the largest green turtle rookery in the world.

Working together to make an impact

Through meaningful partnerships we are able to work on projects like these that trial innovative methods to safeguard the future of species impacted by climate change.
Thank you to our partners Koala, the University of Queensland, Department of Environment and Science and the Sea Turtle Foundation for making this project possible.

© WWF-Australia / Veronica Joseph

Timeline of project

January 2019: Egg laying begins and trialling of cooling and shading methods including natural and artificial shading and irrigation systems.
March 2019: Turtles hatch. Performance test to be conducted on turtles to analyse differences in movements between hatchlings that were shaded and those that were not.
August: 2019: Results of trial. The solution is shade!
November 2019: Further research continues around optimal male hatchling numbers and where these interventions are needed most.

Thank you

This project would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. A special thank you to:

Melissa Staines

Dr. Ian Bell

Jeremy Raven

Sara Kophamel

Bella Reboul

Alastair Freeman

Sophie Thomas

Brittney Zendler

Danny Panizo Coronado

Lauren O'Brien

Johanna Karam

Kerri Woodcock

Stephen Menzies

Edith Shum

The Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance

James Cook University

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recent research has revealed that the northern Great Barrier Reef's green sea turtle offspring are born almost completely female, with males outnumbered by at least 116 to 1. If this feminisation trend continues, it will be detrimental to the future of the species. So, why is this happening?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recent research has revealed that the northern Great Barrier Reef's green sea turtle offspring are born almost completely female, with males outnumbered by at least 116 to 1. If this feminisation trend continues, it will be detrimental to the future of the species. So, why is this happening?

The sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature of sand incubating the eggs. Warmer temperatures, of 29.1 degrees Celsius and above produce females, and cooler temperatures produce males.

Increasing temperatures as a result of climate change means more females are born, disturbing the natural gender ratio. It's possible that the population of sea turtles could be completely female in the near future.

This is of critical concern to the longevity for many marine turtle species. Without males, the species cannot reproduce, and the combination of this with other threats such as poaching, fishing bycatch and loss of habitat, means we are at risk of losing these majestic mariners forever.

What are we doing?

The support of Koala has allowed us to work with partners including the University of Queensland, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the Sea Turtle Foundation to launch a new research project to trial practical methods to cool the sand temperature of sea turtle nests.

Over three months, a range of cooling methods were trialled on Milman Island nesting beach in the northern Great Barrier Reef for both hawksbill and green turtles. These included natural shade from palm fronds and pandanus leaves, artificial shade, seawater irrigation and rainwater.

After months of trials and research analysis, the results are in!

Shading and irrigation have shown to be successful in cooling nests and producing more male hatchlings. Hatchlings from shaded nests were also faster and more active, which means they have a greater chance of survival 48 hours after emerging from their nests.

While Milman Island does not yet have a feminisation problem it offers ideal conditions to trial methods to cool nests. Through this research WWF-Australia aims to find the best method to re-establish a more natural gender ratio and which can be scaled up for use in remote areas and on Raine Island, the largest green turtle rookery in the world.

Working together to make an impact

Through meaningful partnerships we are able to work on projects like these that trial innovative methods to safeguard the future of species impacted by climate change.
Thank you to our partners Koala, the University of Queensland, Department of Environment and Science and the Sea Turtle Foundation for making this project possible.

© WWF-Australia / Veronica Joseph

Timeline of project

January 2019: Egg laying begins and trialling of cooling and shading methods including natural and artificial shading and irrigation systems.
March 2019: Turtles hatch. Performance test to be conducted on turtles to analyse differences in movements between hatchlings that were shaded and those that were not.
August: 2019: Results of trial. The solution is shade!
November 2019: Further research continues around optimal male hatchling numbers and where these interventions are needed most.

Thank you

This project would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. A special thank you to:

Melissa Staines

Dr. Ian Bell

Jeremy Raven

Sara Kophamel

Bella Reboul

Alastair Freeman

Sophie Thomas

Brittney Zendler

Danny Panizo Coronado

Lauren O'Brien

Johanna Karam

Kerri Woodcock

Stephen Menzies

Edith Shum

The Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance

James Cook University

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recent research has revealed that the northern Great Barrier Reef's green sea turtle offspring are born almost completely female, with males outnumbered by at least 116 to 1. If this feminisation trend continues, it will be detrimental to the future of the species. So, why is this happening?

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https://www.wwf.se/nyheter/wwf-varmare-klimat-gor-att-havsskoldpaddan-foder-fler-honor-2784172/

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Plast i havet har ingenting att göra med klimatförändring. Vi måste följa teman.

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Plast i havet har ingenting att göra med klimatförändring. Vi måste följa teman.

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T ex feminiserande händer i Norra Australien för att sköldpaddorna födds som flickor i en viss värme, och global uppvärmning gör att det är allltid så varmt och inga pojkar födds. Därför kan de inte reproducera och befolkningen är i riskzonen. Det är mer relevant än plast.

Kanske finns det ännu en förbindelse mellan hur mycket plast vi kastar i havet och klimat förändring, men det har du inte funnit, om det finns alls. Plast i havet är en mer relevant till konsumentupplysning, materialekonomin, och planerad föråldring; det är inte teman.

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Gummiband och annat skräp i magen på en död sköldpadda i Thailand har på nytt väckt frågan om den svåra nedskräpningen av plast i världshaven.

Sköldpaddan spolades upp på en strand i östra Thailand och blev omhändertagen av lokala veterinärer.

Skräpet i sköldpaddans mage och tarmkanal, som hade lett till att den inte kunde äta, upptäcktes genom röntgen. Veterinärerna försökte först att ge den mat intravenöst för att se om den kunde piggna till. Men det lyckades inte, utan sköldpaddan dog.

– Den främsta dödsorsaken var skräpet i magen, säger veterinären.

Enligt de thailändska veterinärerna beror hälften av fallen där sköldpaddor spolas upp och dör på att de ätit skräp. För inte så länge sedan var siffran bara tio procent

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många sköldpaddor kommer troligtvis att  dö innan de ens kläcks på grund av de höga temperaturerna.

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https://youtu.be/UWvo9OB48ZE

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Sköldpaddorna får hjälp av forskare i Norra Australien

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Sköldpaddorna får hjälp av forskare i Norra Australien

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https://youtu.be/XL6ArVAIOco

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https://youtu.be/cr0qa6v094Y

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https://youtu.be/ytEWIO9yf3M

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https://youtu.be/tMwA0TFY0x4

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https://youtu.be/EHP4urogr9Y

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https://youtu.be/x0DSMH2GILc

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https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/green-turtle/green-turtles-and-climate-change

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https://youtu.be/4D2ZzK24-ik

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Climate change has become an everyday term as more people become aware of it. But have you thought about what this phenomenon means in reality? Changes in temperature might not seem extensive, but we are already seeing dramatic results in many areas:
In practice, climate change affects animal species in the following ways:

Climate patterns change and animals have to adapt accordingly.

Animals experience habitat loss due to increased greenhouse emissions.

Animals have to alter their breeding and feeding patterns in order to survive.

If these animal species can't migrate to more favourable climatic areas, their fate might be sealed. Learn more about six animal species, and how they are affected by climate change.

1) Cheetahs

The African cheetah is the world's fastest animal but is racing against its against near-threatened status in the face of climate change. In some areas, the cheetahs' prey populations are declining, and as a result, the cheetahs have had to change their diets.

A rise in temperatures has affected this big cat's ability to reproduce. Male cheetahs have shown lowered testosterone levels and a sperm count almost ten times lower than your house cat.

A rapid decline in free-ranging cheetahs means resources are being used to study and preserve these master survivors in managed parks. For example, GVI volunteers gather data in Karongwe.

Help to conserve this big cat as part of GVI's Cheetah conservation and research project in South Africa.

2) Giant panda bears

This iconic bear and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) trademark feeds exclusively on bamboo, but unfortunately, climate change is causing a major wipe-out of bamboo in their natural habitat in China. Apart from being the bears' staple diet, bamboo also provides them with shelter from the elements.

3) Green turtles

Green turtles are very sensitive to changes in temperatures.

A baby turtle's gender depends on the temperature of the sand where the eggs are laid . The warmer areas produce female turtles. With climate change causing an increase in temperatures, more females than males will hatch.

You can support the protection of this endangered species by joining GVI's endangered turtle conservation and research program in , or you can travel to to be part of conserving hawksbills, leatherbacks, and green sea turtles.

4) Asian elephants

These gentle giants are particularly sensitive to high temperatures. In order to survive, they need to drink a great amount of fresh water daily.

Climate changes and global warming makes it more difficult for elephants to get the water they need. Warmer temperatures also create favorable conditions for invasive plants to thrive and outmatch the elephants' regular food sources.

You can join GVI to conserve Asian elephants as a volunteer in .

5) Polar bears

Climate change and global warming result in less Arctic sea ice for the bears to hunt seals on. This reduces their access to food sources and threatens their habitat and overall survival.

6) Adélie penguins

These birds live in the Antarctic and feed on krill (found under the ice sheets).

As the ice melts, krill populations decrease and the penguins have to migrate from their natural habitat in an attempt to find alternative food sources. This influences their breeding patterns negatively.
GVI is an international award-winning volunteer organisation that contributes to robust scientific research. You can join us on various wildlife and marine conservation projects and internships in locations around the world.

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Six animal species and how they are affected by climate change | GVI USA

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Climate change has become an everyday term as more people become aware of it. But have you thought about what this phenomenon means in reality? Changes in temperature might not seem extensive, but we are already seeing dramatic results in many areas: In practice, climate change affects animal species in the following ways: Climate patterns change and animals have to adapt accordingly.

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https://c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/publications/992/files/original/WWF_Giant_Panda_climate_assessment_web.pdf?1488211328

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https://www.iucnredlist.org/

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https://c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/publications/732/files/original/Snow_leopard_-_WWF_wildlife_and_climate_change_series.pdf?1435159228

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Orangutang

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II. Wildlife and Climate Change - pågående initiativ, WWF

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II. Wildlife and Climate Change - pågående initiativ, WWF

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https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/wildlife-and-climate-change

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III. Wildlife in a Warming World - mars 2018 rapport, WWF

# data[].attributes.subject
III. Wildlife in a Warming World - mars 2018 rapport, WWF

# data[].attributes.body
https://c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/publications/1149/files/original/WWF_-_Wildlife_in_a_Warming_World_-_2018_FINAL.pdf?1520886759

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I. Djur som påverkas av klimatförändringar - höst 2015 artikel, WWF

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I. Djur som påverkas av klimatförändringar - höst 2015 artikel, WWF

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https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2015/articles/animals-affected-by-climate-change