Critical sea turtle habitat in Suriname is shrinking due to human activities, Mongabay reported.
What's happening?
Suriname's Braamspunt Beach is an important nesting spot for threatened leatherback, green, and olive ridley sea turtles. But as Mongabay reported, the beach has shrunk dramatically in the past five years — from over a half mile in some areas to just 33-39 feet — due to rising global temperatures and sand mining.
Sand mining also disrupts a natural phenomenon where currents push the beach's sand westward. This natural process helps redistribute sand along coastlines and maintain a healthy beach ecosystem, but it will end if there isn't enough sand to move.
"We need to keep in mind that sand mining is permanent removal of the sand," Soraya Wijntuin, oceans coordinator at WWF Guianas, told Mongabay. "Once it has been removed, logically there's no movement possible in western direction."
Why is the shrinking beach concerning?
Shrinking shoreline affects turtles' nesting success and is one of several threats to their survival, as they also struggle against intense hunting, Mongabay explained. Braamspunt is one of only two major nesting sites for turtles in Suriname, and 90% of the leatherback's local population nests there.
This is bad news for the entire marine ecosystem, as sea turtles are a keystone species. According to SEE Turtles, they help to keep other species in check through their eating habits — leatherbacks help control jellyfish populations, for instance. Plus, the organization adds, sea turtle hatchlings are a crucial source of food for many animals.
Sea turtles are also important to local communities that rely on turtle watching or diving to make money, SEE Turtles says.
As sea levels rise, Braamspunt Beach also offers an important coastal defense for the country's capital city, Paramaribo, according to Mongabay. Losing this protection will make the city more susceptible to flooding.
What's being done to protect coastal ecosystems?
Conservationists all over the world are working to protect coastal environments and wildlife. For instance, volunteers in the Netherlands have cleaned up more than 13,000 pounds of trash from local beaches. Plus, a town in the Philippines is offering locals a bag of rice in exchange for every bag of trash they collect from the beaches.
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Of course, rising seas from an overheating planet are a major threat to coastlines around the world, too. That's why it's important for us to decrease our dependence on dirty energy sources like coal, natural gas, and oil, which account for more than 75% of all planet-heating pollution. One way you can help is by changing the way you get around — try walking more, bicycling, or utilizing public transportation options.
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