How many sea turtles have nested in the last 15 years?
The number of sea turtle nests on Bonaire has been on an upward trend since 2010, while nesting populations on St Eustatius have fluctuated. Sea turtles are important indicators for the general health of oceans – from beaches and seagrass to coral reefs.
Since the early 2000s, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire and St Eustatius National Parks Foundation have carried out annual nest counts on multiple beaches on both islands. No data on nests is collected on Saba because the island has few beaches and these are difficult to reach.
| Periode | Loggerhead | Hawksbill | Green turtle | Hybrid (Loggerhead x Hawksbill) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8 | 34 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | 32 | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | 30 | 67 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | 31 | 88 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 23 | 47 | 13 | 0 |
| 2015 | 17 | 54 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 | 22 | 67 | 10 | 0 |
| 2017 | 24 | 83 | 21 | 0 |
| 2018 | 39 | 40 | 26 | 0 |
| 2019 | 28 | 39 | 16 | 0 |
| 2020 | 23 | 59 | 24 | 4 |
| 2021 | 37 | 33 | 19 | 0 |
| 2022 | 21 | 52 | 23 | 0 |
| 2023 | 35 | 59 | 35 | 0 |
| 2024 | 40 | 66 | 24 | 0 |
| Source: Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database | ||||
More nesting sea turtles on Bonaire
On Bonaire, nesting turtle populations have shown a moderate but steady increase over the last 15 years, rising from a total of 50 turtle nests in 2010 up to 150 in 2024. This increase is particularly pronounced among loggerhead turtles, with numbers rising fivefold during this period (up to 40 nesting in 2024). Hawksbill turtles remain the most numerous species nesting on the island. The number of green turtle nests has also increased gradually, from around 10 in 2016 up to 24 turtle nests in 2024.
Fluctuating numbers of sea turtles on St Eustatius
St Eustatius has seen more variation in sea turtle nests over the last 15 years, with annual counts fluctuating due to factors such as changing habitats and the impact of storms. Green turtles are the most common turtle species to nest on the island, followed by hawksbills. Leatherback and loggerhead turtle nests are less common.
| Periode | Green turtle | Hawksbill | Leatherback | Loggerhead | Species unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 57 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 56 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 27 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 49 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Source: St Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA), Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database | |||||
Source
More information about turtle nests on Bonaire and St Eustatius