WHILE natal homing – when an animal returns to the place where it was born to reproduce – is a well-documented biological characteristic of sea turtles, these animals are not completely fixed to a single nesting beach, says WWF-Malaysia.
Spokesman Gavin Jolis, who is the East Coast Peninsular Malaysia Seascape and Marine Species manager, explains there is evidence that females can establish or shift to nearby nesting sites, particularly if their original nesting habitat has been degraded or lost due to unsustainable coastal development and other pressures.
“Such shifts appear to be relatively uncommon and generally occur within a broader nesting area, rather than involving large-scale movements to completely different regions,” says Jolis.
As natal homing is a crucial characteristic of sea turtles, protecting nesting beaches is particularly important as their loss or degradation will have consequences for future generations, he says
WWF-Malaysia, he adds, is incredibly excited about the female leatherback turtle that nested in Terengganu in September 2026. (See "Ecowatch: A leatherback returns -- but is it a species comeback?")
“However, without crucial information such as DNA samples and long-term tracking data, we cannot determine whether this particular turtle was hatched in Terengganu, including at the former nesting stronghold of Rantau Abang, and has now returned to nest,” he points out.
In other words, the turtle could have made one of those shifts he mentioned earlier.
Jolis says it is still too early to determine how many of the eggs in the clutch will hatch successfully as this depends on multiple factors such as the condition and viability of the eggs and how the nest is monitored and managed.
“We will find out if it hatches after 60 days of incubation.
“One important factor is best practice in nest monitoring and hatchery management. Leatherback eggs are particularly sensitive during the early stages of development.
“If the eggs need to be relocated to a hatchery, they must be collected and handled carefully and within the appropriate time frame, and the nest must be managed under suitable conditions to give the eggs the best possible chance of developing and hatching successfully,” he says.
Another important factor in successful hatching is whether the eggs were properly fertilised in the first place.
“A healthy and balanced population of male and female turtles is important for successful reproduction.
“Where there is a shortage of breeding males, there is a possibility that some eggs may be unfertilised and therefore will not develop – these are sometimes described as ‘empty’ eggs.”
This year’s El Nino weather cycle has been forecasted to be super-sized and is expected to cause warmer ocean temperatures – how will this impact leatherback turtles?
Jolis explains that these marine creatures can tolerate a wide range of ocean temperatures, “So warmer water itself may not be the main concern”.
The impact might lie, however, in how El Nino influences ocean currents.
“El Nino can affect ocean upwelling and productivity, which can then change where and how much food is available.
“A 2024 study in America showed that leatherback migration and feeding are closely linked to ocean conditions. So when these conditions change, where and when they feed and migrate could also change.”
There has recently been encouraging news about the recovery of some green turtle populations globally, with the animals moving from endangered to least concern on the extinction risk list maintained by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Can the same be said about the leatherback yet?
Jolis says we should be careful not to assume that the recovery of one sea turtle species necessarily reflects the recovery of another.
“The situation for leatherback turtles – particularly in the Pacific – is much more concerning. The Western Pacific Ocean leatherback subpopulation is categorised as critically endangered under the IUCN Red List.
“The assessment published in 2013 indicates that the overall population has declined by more than 80% since the 1960s, with the decline continuing at some of the region’s key nesting beaches,” he points out.
The leatherback’s main nesting populations are now concentrated in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, with Indonesia’s West Papua supporting the largest remaining nesting population.
For Malaysia, the situation is particularly stark, with leatherback nesting declining from around 10,000 nests recorded in 1953 to the species being declared functionally extinct in the country around 2010.
“This means that the recent return of that leatherback is extremely encouraging, but we should not interpret a single nesting event as evidence that Malaysia’s population has recovered.
“So while we should celebrate the return and the nest as a sign of hope, it is not yet a sign of population recovery,” says Jolis.
What Malaysia needs now, he adds, is sustained monitoring, scientific data – including ShellBank data and tracking where possible – and continued protection of nesting and marine habitats. (ShellBank is a DNA-based traceability toolkit that tracks and traces marine turtle populations globally.)
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
