Record number of nests found on Thai beaches as tourists keep away

Not everything about the virus seems to bring bad news, as Thailand has recently witnessed the largest number of rare sea turtle nests in the last 20 years due to the lack of tourists. Scientists in Phuket and Phang Ng have declared that the lack of sunbathing humans has resulted in the return of rare leatherback sea turtles.

The turtles have not nested in the area for the past 5 years due to the large numbers of tourists, however Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, has confirmed that 11 nests have been found since November, including 84 hatchlings discovered in late March.

“This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans. If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach,” said the director.

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest in the world and are listed as an endangered species in Thailand. They lay eggs in quiet and dark areas, which have become fewer in Thailand due to the influx of tourists every year.

The quieter beaches are also leaving a positive impact on the environment as the waters are visibly cleaner and corals are growing back, Sopon Thongdee, director general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, acknowledged.

Since the outbreak of the virus in the country last January, Thailand has reported 2,765 infections and 47 deaths, leading to a ban on international flights as well as appeals to citizens to stay home. This has obviously led to a huge decline in tourism, likely to devastate the Thai economy which depends on the industry, with estimated predictions of a loss of 1.9 trillion Thai bhat (£47bn) if the current trend continues.

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