Sea Turtle Population

Six of seven species of sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are listed as either vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The largest contributors to the decline seen in sea turtle populations are people, this being due to human activities such as fishing, tourism, shipping, industrial production, and coastal development, which have been scientifically proven to impact all seven species of sea turtles. Plastic pollution found in and around the ocean, light pollution along coastlines, and fishing are three of the main ways in which human activity impacts sea turtle populations. Sea turtles, also known as marine turtles, spend most of their life in the ocean, but they are found on land during their terrestrial birth process that involves laying their eggs in the sand; the vulnerable

2000). Sea turtles can be found worldwide in different marine and terrestrial ecosystems, creating great importance for research to be done on the consequences that these human impacts have on their population. Many conservation efforts have already been put in place to protect sea turtles. For example, in the small country of Costa Rica, where many sea turtles nest, many beaches have been protected by law and through beach patrol to try and eliminate cases of sea turtle poaching and help to protect sea turtles during nesting (Tomillo P et al. 2007). Through research, it is crucial to find the effect that humans have on sea turtles and what the decreasing population of sea turtles means to the rest of the marine ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems in which they live. Then it may be concluded if conservation efforts are needed and if so, what needs to further be done to conserve the