Human Trash is Taking a Toll on Sea Turtles

A global analysis recently published in the journal Conservation Biology, which looked at 37 separate studies containing data from 1900 to 2011, found that green and leatherback sea turtles are becoming increasingly endangered by waste products. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, nearly 6.4 million tons of debris from humans ends up in marine eco-systems. Scientists believe that the two types of turtles are more likely to eat the waste products due to their dietary proclivities and that greater international efforts must be taken to keep oceans clean. “Our results indicate oceanic leatherback turtles and green turtles are at the greatest risk of both lethal and sublethal effects from ingested marine debris,” wrote the experts in Conservation Biology. “To reduce this risk, anthropogenic debris must be managed at a global level.”