Ensuring the protection of marine turtle nesting sites is critical to helping the reptiles survive the dangers of climate change, marine scientists have said.

Marine turtles are under extreme threat from climate change because their nesting grounds are being eroded through sea level changes, extreme weather patterns, coastal development and high temperatures which can cause widespread death of eggs or unnatural sex ratios.

The turtles’ ability to recover from these effects is concerning marine scientists, as turtle populations have dropped drastically in recent decades due largely to global emissions and nest site destruction.