The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv­ice and NOAA Fisheries are proposing to designate more than 2,000 acres of nesting and basking beaches in Hawaii as critical habitat for the threatened green sea turtle.

The designation is part of a larger proposal for five distinct populations of green sea turtles and designation of roughly 8,850 acres of beaches and nearly 428,000 square miles of coastal waters across the nation as protected critical habitat.

A virtual meeting for public comment from Hawaii will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 10.

“We’re really excited these species will get the habitat protection they deserve — and are legally entitled to under the law,” said Maxx Phillips, Hawaii director and staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.

The Endangered Species Act prohibits federal agencies from authorizing activities that will destroy or harm a listed species’ critical habitat.

The proposal, announced last week, follows a court-ordered agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, Sea Turtle Oversight Protection and Turtle Island Restoration Network, which filed a federal lawsuit in 2020.

Despite determining that the growing impacts of climate change and sea-level rise meant the turtles still needed Endangered Species Act protection, the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries failed to take the required steps to protect the turtle’s critical habitat, the suit argued.

The agencies share jurisdiction for sea turtles, with the Fish and Wildlife Service overseeing their protection and recovery on nesting beaches and NOAA Fisheries providing oversight in the marine environment.

A 2019 study by Center for Biological Diversity scientists found that most marine species listed under the Endangered Species Act are recovering and that listed species with critical habitat protections and those listed for more than 20 years are most likely to be rebounding.

Hawaii’s green turtle populations have been on the rise in recent years, studies have found. But Phillips said many of the turtles are not of the age and size needed to successfully mate.

“They still need protections to ensure their survival and recovery,” she said.

Some 1,050 acres of federal and state lands are proposed as critical habitat within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for nesting and basking honu, while about 1,183 acres are proposed within the main Hawaiian Islands.

Historically, green sea turtles were killed for their meat and eggs, leading to global population declines. Today the turtles face any number of risks, according to NOAA Fisheries. These include:

>> Coastal development, which affects the beaches they require to nest and increases artificial lighting, causing hatchlings to migrate to the lights and away from the ocean.

>> Runoff and other pollution, which kills seagrass and algae, reducing the availability of these major food sources for green sea turtles.

>> Fisheries bycatch, vessel strikes, marine debris and pollutants.

Climate change threatens green sea turtles as rising seas and storms erode beaches and flood nests, causing them to wash away. Changes in ocean temperature alter the amount and distribution of food, upsetting their migration, foraging range and nesting seasons.

NOAA Fisheries and the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the green sea turtle under the ESA in 1978.

“Green sea turtles continue to face threats in the marine environment, including human interactions like bycatch and marine debris, as well as habitat loss and the ongoing impacts of climate change,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said in a news release.

“These new critical habitat proposals will aid in our joint mission to protect and recover endangered and threatened green sea turtles,” Coit said.

While critical-habitat designation does affect federally funded or permitted activities, officials said, it does not affect landownership or allow the government to access, take or manage private property. Nor does it create reserves, protected areas or prevent development, they said.

Registration is required for the Aug. 10 meeting.

For information visit fws.gov/library/collections/green-sea-turtle-meetings- hearings.

Comments on the proposed critical habitat must be submitted by Oct. 17.Comments can be submitted at regulations.gov under docket number FWS-R4-ES-2022-0164 for the proposed terrestrial critical habitat, and under docket number NOAA-NMFS-2023-0087 for the proposed marine critical habitat.