Plastics pose a global threat to turtles | ECOVIEWS

Whit Gibbons
·3 min read

I received the following questions from students doing a project on turtle conservation at the Lund International School in Sweden.

Q. How do plastic products in the environment affect turtles and their habitats?

A. Pollution of natural habitats by plastics is a worldwide problem and turtles everywhere can be severely affected. One of the most dramatic negative impacts can be seen with leatherback sea turtles, the largest living turtles in the world. Leatherbacks cruise through the ocean eating jellyfish. Plastic bags are easily mistaken for jellyfish, and the carcasses of giant sea turtles have been found washed ashore with stomachs full of plastic bags, presumably the cause of death.

A leatherback sea turtle nests on a beach in southern Florida as a Space-X rocket soars skyward in the background. Leatherbacks are the largest turtles in the world. Among their greatest threats are plastic bags floating in the ocean; they mistake them for jellyfish, their primary food. [Photo provided by Tyler Krotenburg]
A leatherback sea turtle nests on a beach in southern Florida as a Space-X rocket soars skyward in the background. Leatherbacks are the largest turtles in the world. Among their greatest threats are plastic bags floating in the ocean; they mistake them for jellyfish, their primary food. [Photo provided by Tyler Krotenburg]

Turtles, as well as other animals, can mistake various forms of indigestible plastic debris for food. These hazards include plastic fishing lines and nets that are discarded in oceans, lakes and rivers. Turtles get entangled in the mesh and often cannot escape. They drown or eventually starve to death. Many wild turtles become trapped in plastic packaging such as six-pack rings. This can result in deformities and growth impairment. Plastics in the environment are a serious form of pollution on a global scale.

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Q. What other factors are adversely affecting the habitats of turtles and how they live?

A. Human activities cause many of the problems faced globally by wildlife — including turtles.

  • 1. The loss of turtles' natural habitats, especially freshwater wetlands, continues at far-too-rapid a pace. On most continents these freshwater habitats are vital for turtles. If we eradicate the habitat, we will also eradicate the turtles.

  • 2. Various kinds of contamination pose a pervasive and ongoing threat to many turtles. Pesticides entering aquatic systems from agricultural runoff are toxic to turtles and fish, as well as the invertebrate prey they eat. Herbicides also destroy plant life that some turtles depend on. Pollution from fertilizer runoff can cause serious detrimental effects to aquatic habitats that turtles and other wildlife depend on.

  • 3. A third insidious man-made problem faced by wild turtles is poaching by the commercial black market. Two primary targets are turtles intended for the illegal pet trade and for Asian food markets. Many countries have laws and regulations against the capture and transport of wild turtles. But the laws often are not enforced or are not stringent enough to prevent unsustainable removal from the wild.

Q. How can people help threatened or endangered turtles from becoming extinct?

A. Children and adults can help with turtle conservation. Turtles on most continents are threatened or endangered because of human activities. Educating yourself about the problem is one of the first steps in figuring out how you can help. Numerous organizations support conservation efforts to protect turtles from a variety of environmental threats. Many of the organizations focus on certain kinds of turtles or on specific habitats. Check out various websites to find out what each organization perceives to be the greatest environmental threat.

Promoting attitudes that help maintain healthy environments where turtles live, including the ocean, is another positive thing to do. Preserving their habitats, limiting pollution, prohibiting the removal of turtles from the wild for commercial purposes — these actions will go a long way toward responsible conservation for all wildlife. Although your connection with wild turtles is limited in Sweden, you might consider volunteering at a local zoo or aquarium to find out more about all wildlife, including turtles, and the threats they face.

Q. What do you think the future holds for turtles?

A. The future is bleak for native wildlife anywhere human inhabitants disregard the impact people have on the environment. Whether prompted by ignorance, greed or malice, such disregard can do irreparable damage. I commend students who take on projects like yours to learn how they can help.

Whit Gibbons is professor of zoology and senior biologist at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
Whit Gibbons is professor of zoology and senior biologist at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.

Whit Gibbons is professor of zoology and senior biologist at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. If you have an environmental question or comment, email ecoviews@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Plastics pose a global threat to turtles | ECOVIEWS