Marine litter can shift sea turtle nests toward the shoreline

Marine litter is an emerging threat to sea turtle rookeries, yet its effects on nesting behaviour remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how macro-litter accumulation on beaches influences the spatial distribution of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests on Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde. We mapped litter across 40 surveyed beach sections and combined these data with nest locations and control points. Our results revealed that females tend to nest closer to the shoreline when litter is more abundant, overriding natural mid-beach nesting preferences. We suggest that marine litter adds a new dimension to the phenomenon of coastal squeeze, further reducing the availability of suitable nesting habitat. The mechanism identified is likely relevant in other major nesting areas where litter accumulates, potentially reshaping habitat use for other populations worldwide. Our findings highlight the indirect consequences of marine litter and the need for further research on its ..., , # Marine litter can shift sea turtle nests toward the shoreline

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.dr7sqvbcj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dr7sqvbcj)

## Description of the data and file structure

## Dataset Description

This dataset contains 40 GeoPackage (GPKG) vector layers representing the spatial distribution of **anthropogenic marine macro-litter items** detected on nesting beaches of Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde.

Each layer corresponds to an individual surveyed beach section or survey unit and includes point locations of manually identified macro-litter items derived from high-resolution drone imagery.

The dataset was produced to quantify and analyze patterns of marine litter accumulation on sea turtle nesting beaches and to assess its role as an environmental risk factor.

## File Structure

* **File format:** GeoPackage (.gpkg)
* **Number of layers:** 40
* **Geometry type:** Polyline
* **Coordinate Reference System (CRS):** 4326

Each GPKG layer corresponds to:

* One surveyed be...,