nesting season<\/p>\n
<\/a>, 18 nests have already been found, said Dr Karenne Tun, National Parks Board\u2019s (NParks) group director of the National Biodiversity Centre. <\/p>\n
This is up from an average of 11 nests recorded annually from 2021 to 2024.<\/p>\n
No trend has been discernible so far from the rise in numbers, according to NParks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Yet, 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.<\/p>\n
Every year from May to October, the hawksbill \u2013 one of Singapore\u2019s two sea turtle species \u2013 crawls ashore to lay dozens of eggs on beaches at hot spots such as East Coast Park and Changi.<\/p>\n
In 2018, a turtle hatchery was set up at Small Sister\u2019s Island to shelter nests vulnerable to disturbance and damage from foot traffic and boost the hatchlings\u2019 chances of living.<\/p>\n
An estimated one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survives until adulthood. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/e1ad16b55f95285563673ad7c4346e103c9e1f253de5932dafca2b021933bec5.png\")
<\/p>\n
Turtle hatchlings at Sisters\u2019 Islands Marine Park on Aug 23. <\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n
Dr Tun said: \u201cTurtle nests, when encountered, are monitored to track hatching success rates and the factors that affect them. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis allows NParks to introduce interventions where possible at each stage of the turtle life cycle to increase the chances of survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Singapore\u2019s other turtle species \u2013 the green turtle \u2013 has not been recorded laying its eggs here. This is unlike nesting activity in neighbouring Malaysia, where the endangered species is far more common than the hawksbill.<\/p>\n
Based on NParks\u2019 beach patrols that began in 2017, nesting turtles spotted in Singapore have all been hawksbills, said Mr Collin Tong, deputy director of the National Biodiversity Centre\u2019s coastal and marine branch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still trying to understand why that is the case,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a good thing, but nobody knows why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some light has already been shed on the movements of local sea turtles, thanks to the coastal and marine branch\u2019s efforts to affix flipper tags and satellite trackers on arriving females, which are also measured to track their health.<\/p>\n
To date, satellite data has shown that two nesting female turtles with trackers had originated from the Riau Islands in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Another two flipper-tagged mother turtles have also been found to return regularly to nest.<\/p>\n
But much remains unknown, with research under way to better understand turtles that arrive here, their nesting behaviour and the impact of the warming world on their future.<\/p>\n