Florida: endangered sea turtles thriving thanks to Covid-19 restrictions

[KY_EnviroGuy]

Florida: endangered sea turtles thriving thanks to Covid-19 restrictions

Researchers are seeing an increase in nests as restrictions keep humans and harmful waste off beaches
Richard Luscombe in Miami @richlusc
Sun 19 Apr 2020 22.52 BST

Article link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/19/florida-leatherback-turtles-coronavirus-beaches

(snips)

Marine life researchers in Florida say that coronavirus restrictions keeping humans and harmful waste off beaches are having a beneficial effect on the numbers of endangered leatherback sea turtles in the state.

With the summer nesting season barely two weeks old, staff from the Loggerhead MarineLife Center in Juno Beach have already found and marked 76 nests of the world’s largest species of sea turtle on the nine and half mile stretch they monitor, a “significant” increase from the same stage last year.

The elevated numbers are raising hopes of a bumper nesting season for leatherbacks, and also vulnerable loggerhead turtles that begin to arrive to lay eggs before the end of May.
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“Our world has changed, but these turtles have been doing this for millions of years and it’s just reassuring and gives us hope that the world is still going on.”

If Florida Rethug man has his way, this joyous time for the turtles will be short-lived.........

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That is cause for rejoicing!

Yay for the endangered leatherback turtles!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. I think we all need occasional breaks like this from daily doom and gloom, CP.

Mother Nature always seems to give us an ounce of hope in the worst of times.


KY..................

[roamer65]

2. We are seeing each day more examples of why human population reduction would be a good thing.

Sea turtles, breathable air in India, China...etc.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

5. Seems that humanity only wants to do that the hard way, though.

Wars, climate change disasters and viral or bacterial outbreaks aplenty.


Maybe Mother Nature's trying to send us a message.......

[roamer65]

6. THIS.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Earth is breathing for the first time in decades.

We’ve gone back to 50 years ago for levels of emissions. Even though this will be short lived, hopefully it can give the earth a chance to catch its breath and heal some.