title: Conservation hotspots for marine turtle nesting in the United States based on coastal development.
abstract: Coastal areas provide nesting habitat for marine turtles that is critical for the persistence of their populations. However, many coastal areas are highly affected by coastal development, which affects the reproductive success of marine turtles. Knowing the extent to which nesting areas are exposed to these threats is essential to guide management initiatives. This information is particularly important for coastal areas with both high nesting density and dense human development, a combination that is common in the United States. We assessed the extent to which nesting areas of the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the green (Chelonia mydas), the Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the continental United States are exposed to coastal development and identified conservation hotspots that currently have high reproductive importance and either face high exposure to coastal development (needing intervention), or have low exposure to coastal development, and are good candidates for continued and future protection. Night-time light, housing, and population density were used as proxies for coastal development and human disturbance. About 81.6% of nesting areas were exposed to housing and human population, and 97.8% were exposed to light pollution. Further, most (>65%) of the very high- and high-density nesting areas for each species/subpopulation, except for the Kemp's ridley, were exposed to coastal development. Forty-nine nesting sites were selected as conservation hotspots; of those high-density nesting sites, 49% were sites with no/low exposure to coastal development and the other 51% were exposed to high-density coastal development. Conservation strategies need to account for ~66.8% of all marine turtle nesting areas being on private land and for nesting sites being exposed to large numbers of seasonal residents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Room 507 OSB, 117 North Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Mariana M P B
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Room 507 OSB, 117 North Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gredzens
authors.affiliation: SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Brooke L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Bateman
authors.affiliation: Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Charles City, Virginia, 23030, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boettcher
authors.affiliation: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA.|Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 32816, USA.
authors.forename: Simona A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ceriani
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA.|Duke University Marine Lab, Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA.|Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, North Carolina, 28557, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Helmers
authors.affiliation: USFWS Alabama Field Office, Daphne, Alabama, 36526, USA.
authors.forename: Dianne K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.affiliation: Pendoley Environmental, Booragoon, Western Australia, 6154, Australia.
authors.forename: Ruth L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kamrowski
authors.affiliation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pate
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Pressey
authors.affiliation: SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Volker C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Radeloff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005544:Forecasting; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D011156:Population Density; D012098:Reproduction; D014426:Turtles; D014481:United States
keywords: Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii); United States marine areas; anthropogenic disturbance; conservation planning; green turtle (Chelonia mydas); land tenure; leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea); light pollution; loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)