On Tuesday U.S. officials announced that the green sea turtles of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Florida are no longer classified as “endangered.” Although still considered “threatened,” and still coming under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, they are not facing imminent extinction after decades of conservation efforts. Most green sea turtle populations throughout the world are listed as threatened.
In 1978, when the green sea turtle breeding populations were first listed as endangered, there was only a handful of nesting females. In Florida alone there are now over 2,250 counted on beaches each year. They will remain in the threatened classification until the species has fully recovered.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have divided green sea turtle populations around the world into 11 distinct segments. Conservation approaches are tailed to each area.
There are still three areas of the world where green sea turtles are considered endangered, meaning they are at the highest risk of disappearing from the Earth. Those that live in the Central West Pacific Ocean, as well as those in the Central South Pacific and Mediterranean Seas are at the highest risk of disappearing. NOAA administrators hope that the success seen with the Pacific Coast populations are a model for further recovery strategies that can be used around the world.
Sea turtles face many threats, including beach development that has destroyed nesting habitats, fishing nets and pollution. Conservation efforts have included a reduction in bycatch in fisheries, protection of nesting beaches and prohibitions on the direct harvest of sea turtles.