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In Malaysia, warmer temperatures imply fewer male turtles, harming conservation efforts

On a secluded Malaysian beach, a group of volunteers thoroughly obtained newly laid sea turtle eggs in the sand and moved them to a dubious, cooler place, in response to worries by scientists that warmer weather is causing less male hatchlings.

The temperature of the establishing turtle eggs is what figures out sex. Observers at the Chagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary on Redang Island believe they are currently seeing fewer males being hatched due to environment change - with the scenario made worse this year by extended hot and dry spells triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon. Sea turtle conservationists were concerned that uncontrolled international warming in the future, in the next 15, 20, thirty years, will be damaging ... because it will feminise sea turtle hatchling populations, Nicholas Tolen, a scientist at University of Malaysia Terengganu stated.

Moving nests to shadier spots or irrigating them with water has actually been proven to assist lower incubation temperature levels, however the success of the sanctuary's program was still being determined.

Such techniques were likewise preferable to artificial incubators, which could interfere with sea turtle hatchlings' understanding of the earth's magnetic field, impacting their orientation and ability to nest, the scientists stated.

(source: Reuters)