MIAMI — Endangered green sea turtles will have some of their nesting beaches protected by federal agencies under a new legal agreement with conservation groups.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service must designate protected critical habitats for green sea turtles by June 30, 2023, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement last week.
The agencies will likely consider proposing protections for beaches where green turtles nest in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as offshore oceanic habitat in the Southeast and on the West Coast, according to the agreement. These critical habitats designations don’t prohibit development, but they require that any project that’s permitted by a federal agency must minimize harm to these special areas.
Green sea turtle populations are threatened by poaching, bycatch in commercial and recreational fishing, vessel strikes and the degradation of their habitats. Global warming and sea-level rise, as well as increased pollution, are making it harder for these turtles to nest in some areas.
