Leatherback sea turtles adopt new nesting beaches in Ecuador due to warming oceans

Researchers identified a record number of eastern Pacific leatherback turtle nests along the coast of Ecuador during the 2025 to 2026 nesting season. These turtles are nesting more than 1,000 miles away from their traditional grounds in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Juan José Alava and his team at Simon Fraser University found that the turtles appear to be adapting to warming ocean temperatures by seeking cooler coastal conditions.

The study analyzed over 45 years of records to track nesting activity alongside El Niño and La Niña cycles. The data shows that the turtles increase their nesting activity in Ecuador during La Niña events, which bring cooler sea surface temperatures to the southeastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The eastern Pacific leatherback is a species that can survive in both warm and cold environments.

While the population has dropped by more than 90% since the 1980s due to climate change and human activities like fishing bycatch and plastic pollution, the move to Ecuador offers a potential lifeline. The study found that the number of eggs per nest and the hatching rates in Ecuador are comparable to, and sometimes higher than, those in traditional northern nesting sites.

Conservationists say the long-term survival of the species depends on continued monitoring and the protection of these new nesting beaches. They recommend that management efforts involve local communities and use traditional ecological knowledge to create community-grounded interventions.