Globally, beach-washed logs have been shown to negatively affect marine turtle nesting, but the effects and origin of beach-washed logs on remote beaches in Australia have not yet been investigated. This study presents a novel investigation into the species and origin of timber logs washed ashore on an endangered marine turtle nesting beach at Milman Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, and their potential impact on nesting attempts. A spatial analysis of the coincidence of beach-washed logs and nesting attempts highlighted several areas around Milman Island that should be prioritised for future action to remove high-impact logs. Probable log origin was determined by tree species analysis and validated through ocean current modelling. This indicated that timber species found on Milman Island had a probable origin in the Coral Sea, including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Manipulative experiments involving the presence or absence of beach-washed logs could be the next step in further understanding the relationship between the nesting behaviour of the Eretmochelys imbricata population on Milman Island and beach-washed logs.

在全球范围内，海滩冲洗原木已被证明会对海龟筑巢产生负面影响，但尚未调查海滩冲洗原木对澳大利亚偏远海滩的影响和起源。本研究对大堡礁米尔曼岛濒危海龟筑巢海滩上被冲上岸的原木的种类和起源及其对筑巢尝试的潜在影响进行了一项新颖的调查。对海滩冲刷原木和筑巢尝试巧合的空间分析突出了米尔曼岛周围的几个区域，这些区域应优先用于未来移除高影响原木的行动。可能的原木起源是通过树种分析确定的，并通过洋流模型进行验证。这表明在米尔曼岛上发现的木材物种可能起源于珊瑚海，包括巴布亚新几内亚和所罗门群岛。涉及海滩冲洗原木存在或不存在的操作实验可能是进一步了解海龟筑巢行为之间关系的下一步。米尔曼岛上的Eretmochelys imbricata种群和海滩冲刷的原木。