This phenomenon can have a drastic impact on sea turtles especially, as the sex of hatchlings in the nest is determined by temperature (hotter incubation resulting in more females while cooler incubation gives more males).

This climatic disturbance has led sea turtles sex ratio in rookeries around the world to be skewed more towards females, meaning that there are now more females than male hatchlings. Should this trend continue, and coupled with other man-made pressure on the species, it could lead to female only populations and the extinction of turtle species.

A study, conducted by Dr. Nicole Esteban and  the turtle team, investigated sand temperatures and their implications for hatchling sex ratios in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The results from this study are promising. After collecting data for 2 years they found that sand temperatures were relatively cool during the nesting season of both species especially on sand shaded by vegetation. This predicts a hatchling sex ratio with slightly more males than females. This result is promising as it means that shaded nesting beaches will continue to provide a substantial number of males hatchlings into a female dominated regional population and warming world.

Eight green turtles were tagged while nesting on a Chagossian beach, of these eight only one did not travel to distant foraging grounds and preferred to stay in the MPA. Some individuals were tracked all the way to the east coast Africa, about 4000km away.

Green Turtles have evolved to undertake these long migrations across our oceans, when travelling they solely rely on their fat reserves. Scientists are still puzzled in the face of their navigation skills as they find small patches of seagrass in our immense oceans. This high mobility of this animal challenges the ability to protect of isolated MPAs like BIOT. Green turtles are, like most sea turtles, threatened with extinction. It is crucial to establish network of MPAs to allow these species to migrate safely as much as possible.

Unfortunately, international cooperation is needed to create these safe corridors between the already existing large MPAs. Achieving this difficult outcome will also ensure the protection of many species whom are now in dire need of it.