Natal BeachNatal Beach

Natal Beach

The natal beach should provide the environment for female turtles to lay eggs, for eggs to incubate, and for hatchlings to emerge and enter the water unencumbered by unnatural influences. Each beach will have characteristics that influence the nesting outcome, including the sex ratio of hatchlings. Alteration or development of the beach foreshores may prevent females from nesting, alter the sex ratio that the beach produces or result in light pollution that attracts hatchlings inland. Alteration of sand temperature could result in the temperature of the majority of nests moving beyond the pivotal temperature for that population. This will have consequences for the future adult population.

Development, vehicular activity and recreational activities have been identified as threats to the natal habitat. Threats to nesting habitat affect all Queensland populations but particularly those in the southern Great Barrier Reef (predation by feral animals, development, disturbance), some Arnhem Land nesting sites (customary harvest, predation by feral dogs, damage from vehicle); and all North West Shelf population (predation by foxes, vehicle damage to nests, disturbance).