BRAAMSPUNT BEACH, Suriname — As little as five years ago, parts of the beach here were 500 meters or wider, more than a quarter of a mile, says Kiran Balrampersad. “Now,” he says, “there are only 10-12 meters [33-39 feet] left.” For more than a decade, Balrampersad has guided sea turtle tours on Braamspunt Beach, located on the east bank of the mouth of the Suriname River, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo. “I have witnessed erosion taking place at an accelerated rate every year,” Balrampersad tells Mongabay. Braamspunt is one of the few sandy beaches in Suriname, where sea turtles, including leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green (Chelonia mydas) and olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), all threatened species, come to lay their eggs every February to August. The beach’s rapid shrinking, driven by climate change impacts and sand mining, is threatening the species, already under pressure from excessive hunting and habitat destruction. The rapid erosion of Braamspunt not only threatens these turtles’ nesting success but also disrupts the delicate balance of the marine ecosystems that the animals help sustain. Braamspunt is also important for the coastal defense of Paramaribo against rising sea levels. A nesting haven is retreating Braamspunt’s plight isn’t a singular case in the region, research shows. The study by WWF with Dutch research institute Deltares and Delft Technical University documents how turtle nesting beaches in Suriname and neighboring Guyana and French Guiana are undergoing the same phenomenon. The rapid erosion of Braamspunt Beach threatens turtle species…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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