Green turtles given least concern status — The Japan Times

Green sea turtles have moved from endangered status to the “least concern” category in global conservation assessments. The species’ recovery has been supported by decades of relocating egg clutches, protecting marine areas and trade bans, including measures implemented in Malaysia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reported the status change last year, The Japan Times writes.

The result of long-term protection

Malaysian turtle expert Juanita Joseph, a professor at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said she did not expect to see such a status for the species. She conducts genetic research on turtles and has worked with local communities, including persuading her father to stop consuming turtle eggs.

At the same time, the recovery is uneven: some regional populations of green turtles remain endangered and are declining. All six other species of sea turtles are classified as vulnerable or critically endangered, except for the flatback turtle, whose status remains unclear because of insufficient data.

Turtles are harvested for their meat and shells, and they also die in fishing nets. They are harmed by development and pollution of nesting beaches and feeding grounds. Climate change also affects the sex ratio of offspring, as temperature determines sex development in eggs.

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The Sabah example

In the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the Turtle Islands, the number of green turtle nests has tripled since the 1970s, reaching more than 20,000 per year. The islands have been protected since 1977, and Sabah banned the consumption of turtle meat and eggs in 1997.

On Omadal Island, a women’s cooperative has been moving eggs from beaches to an incubator since 2012, protecting them from predators and poachers. The team of 20 members directs 10% of its income from souvenir production and catering toward turtle conservation.

Genetic tracking of populations

WWF-Malaysia created Shellbank, the world’s first global turtle DNA database. Tissue and shell samples help trace the origins of animals and identify sources of illegal trade. Such research has established, in particular, that turtles feeding in some areas of Malaysia originate from Micronesia.

According to WWF-Malaysia, only one in a thousand hatchlings survives to sexual maturity at about 20 years of age. Turtles spend the first approximately 10 years of their lives in the open ocean — a little-studied period scientists call the “lost years.”