Back From the Brink: Green Turtles Leave the Endangered List

It's a big victory for green sea turtles after decades of conservation work: They're no longer considered endangered, reports the BBC. The shift is noted in the updated "Red List" of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Once heavily hunted for their meat, eggs, and shells, green turtle populations had been listed as endangered since the 1980s. Efforts like safeguarding nesting sites, protecting eggs, releasing hatchlings, and introducing fishing practices that reduce accidental turtle capture have paid off, according to the new data.

"The ongoing global recovery of the green turtle is a powerful example of what coordinated global conservation over decades can achieve to stabilize and even restore populations," said Roderic Mast, co-chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group, per Oceanographic Magazine. The turtles are an "iconic and charismatic species ... they inspire people," said Brendan Godley of the University of Exeter. "Hundreds of thousands of people have been working for decades to try and look after these creatures, and undoubtedly, it has had an impact." Still, he cautions that continued efforts are required to maintain and expand the gains.

Green turtles, named for the green tint of their fat that results from their plant-based diet, are one of seven sea turtle species. Two of them remain critically endangered. The latest update to the IUCN's Red List, released at its Abu Dhabi congress, downgrades the green turtle from Endangered to Least Concern. However, experts warn that population levels are still a fraction of what they once were, limited by ongoing threats like fishing, habitat loss, and climate change. Certain sites, such as Raine Island in Australia, still see low hatchling numbers.

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While the update was good news for green turtles, not all species were so lucky. The Red List, which consists of some 172,620 species, saw some Arctic seal species moving closer to extinction as climate change shrinks their sea ice habitat. The hooded seal is now Endangered, and bearded and harp seals are Near Threatened. "Each year in Svalbard, the retreating sea ice reveals how threatened Arctic seals have become, making it harder for them to breed, rest, and feed," said Dr. Kit Kovacs, co-chair of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission Pinniped Specialist Group.