Kategorie: News
Record Number of Leatherback Turtle Nests—and a Planned Container Port Right in the Middle of It All
The Turtle Foundation reports news from three regions: a record number of nests in the very place where India is planning a container port, an award for its conservation program in Indonesia, and a recap of the nesting season on Boa Vista. The information comes from the organization’s press releases.
India: Record at Galathea Bay
Last season, 997 sea turtle nests were documented on a single beach in Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island, 889 of which were laid by leatherback turtles. According to a report by the Indian platform Scroll, cited by the Turtle Foundation, this is the highest number recorded there since monitoring began about 40 years ago. The previous record was 649 leatherback turtle nests in 2022. By comparison: On the beaches monitored by the Turtle Foundation in Indonesia, teams counted 323 leatherback turtle nests during the same season. A single beach in India thus had nearly three times as many.
A large international container port is set to be built in this nesting area in the coming years. It is part of a larger project that also includes an airport, a power plant, and a new settlement. Plans call for large breakwaters and land reclamation, with increased ship traffic and artificial lighting to follow. The executive director of the Turtle Foundation, Dr. Hiltrud Cordes, warns that the loss of such a crucial nesting site could seriously threaten the endangered population. Other beaches are not automatically safe, she notes, and it is impossible to predict with certainty exactly how the construction will impact the population.
Indonesia: Ranger Handbook and Planet Hero Award
Together with its Indonesian sister organization, Yayasan Penyu Indonesia, the Turtle Foundation has developed a ranger handbook. It is designed to support on-site teams in their daily conservation work, covering everything from species identification and habitat to threats. The first module is complete, with more to follow.
In addition, the conservation program in Berau, Indonesia, received the jury prize for the Zurich Insurance Planet Hero Award in the biodiversity category. The prize money will go toward on-site conservation efforts for green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles.
Boa Vista: Nesting Season Comes to an End
On the Cape Verde island of Boa Vista, the nesting season is coming to an end. On the beaches protected by the Turtle Foundation, 10,193 nests have been recorded so far, compared to 9,565 last year. Fifty-eight sea turtles were rescued. At the hatchery, a protected rearing station, there were 276 nests, and hatchlings emerged from 135 of them. A total of 6,362 hatchlings have reached the ocean.
At the same time, the sixth round of free swimming lessons for children has come to an end; 104 children participated. In addition to teaching swimming techniques, the program includes environmental education about the ocean and its inhabitants.
In July, we reported in detail on the dune pilot project on Boa Vista, which views the dunes as part of reef protection and aims to restore native vegetation and natural dune formation.
Sources:
Turtle Foundation: Container Port in India Threatens Leatherback Turtle Nesting Site
Turtle Foundation: News and Newsletter (as of October 8, 2026)