Making their debut: Turtle hatchlings at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. — The Straits Times/ANN
The sands of the island republic have yielded promising signs for the critically-endangered hawksbill turtle in 2025, as the number of nests uncovered has hit a five-year high, The Straits Times has learnt.
With nearly two months still left in the yearly nesting season, 18 nests have already been found, said Dr Karenne Tun, National Parks Board’s (NParks) group director of the National Biodiversity Centre. This is up from an average of 11 nests recorded annually from 2021 to 2024.
No trend has been discernible so far from the rise in numbers, according to NParks.
Hawksbill turtles, named for their hawk-like beaks, are mainly found in tropical seas. They keep coral reefs healthy through their appetite for sponges, affording time for corals to grow slowly.
But the hawksbill faces a host of man-made threats, including the loss of nesting beaches, reclamation and other land uses, sea pollution and the illegal wildlife trade, where their mottled shells are highly prized.
From May to October every year, the hawksbill – one of Singapore’s two sea turtle species – crawls ashore to lay dozens of eggs on beaches at hot spots such as East Coast Park and Changi.
In 2018, a turtle hatchery was set up at Small Sister’s Island to shelter nests vulnerable to disturbance and damage from foot traffic and boost the hatchlings’ chances of living. An estimated one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survives until adulthood.
Tun said, “Turtle nests, when encountered, are monitored to track hatching success rates and the factors that affect them.
“This allows NParks to introduce interventions where possible at each stage of the turtle life cycle to increase the chances of survival.” — The Straits Times/ANN
