Australia’s Unique Flatback Turtles Face Extinction Threat From Climate Change
Australia boasts a treasure unique to its shores: the majestic flatback turtle. But this incredible creature is facing a dire threat, and its future is hanging in the balance. Climate change is dramatically impacting the beaches where these turtles nest, jeopardizing their very survival.
Imagine this: currently, a healthy 76% of flatback eggs successfully hatch. However, new research co-authored by University of Western Australia Associate Professor Nicki Mitchell paints a grim picture. A mere two degrees of global warming could slash that figure to a precarious 63%, while a four-degree increase would see it plummet to a devastating 37%. This means drastically fewer baby turtles will reach the ocean.
"These turtles are truly special – they’re Australia’s own," says Mitchell, deputy director of the university’s Oceans Institute and a leading expert on flatbacks. "No other country can claim a unique sea turtle species like this."
(Image: Lead researcher Dr Malindi Gammon carefully scanning a flatback turtle for a microchip identification tag. Credit: Malindi Gammon, DBCA)
The problem extends beyond simply fewer hatchlings. The temperature of the sand during the crucial 55-day incubation period dictates the sex of the developing turtle. Warmer sands mean more females, potentially skewing the gender balance dramatically.
This shift towards a female-dominated population has been predicted across the Pilbara region’s 402 known nesting beaches. Take Thevenard Island, for instance: one of the coolest beaches studied is projected to shift from a 90% male population to a mere 32% male at just two degrees of warming – a staggering change.
These remarkable creatures, one of seven marine turtle species, range from the Pilbara across northern Australia to southern Queensland. This research, a collaboration between the university and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction, focused on the Pilbara population, which remains genetically distinct from the Kimberley population.
While flatback turtles’ promiscuous mating habits offer some resilience to low male numbers compared to monogamous species, the drastic reduction in hatchling success is a major cause for concern. Protecting their nesting sites has never been more critical.
The clock is ticking. The future of Australia’s unique flatback turtle rests on our ability to mitigate climate change and safeguard their fragile nesting grounds. The time to act is now.
