Green sea turtles have officially been brought back from the brink of extinction, marking one of the biggest conservation success stories in recent history.
For hundreds of years, these gentle giants were hunted for their meat, shells, and eggs. By the 1980s, relentless exploitation had pushed the species to the edge of extinction.
But after decades of worldwide conservation efforts – from safely releasing hatchlings to patrolling nesting beaches – the hard work has finally paid off.
Today, green turtles’ conservation status has officially been downgraded by the IUCN Red List from Endangered to Least Concern, a milestone that few could have imagined just a few decades ago.
Roderic Mast, the co-chair of the IUCN’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group under the Species Survival Commission, called the recovery “a powerful reminder of what long-term, coordinated action can achieve,” showing that even slow-growing, long-lived marine species can thrive again with the right protection.
However, he emphasized that conservation efforts must not focus solely on the turtles themselves; protecting their habitats is just as vital, since these animals depend on clean, healthy waters to survive.
They’re one of only seven sea turtle species still in existence today, two of which remain critically endangered.
Thanks to nearly five decades of coordinated conservation work, these remarkable creatures are now showing encouraging signs of recovery in several regions across the globe.
Still, experts caution that green turtles continue to face serious threats and are far from being completely out of danger.
According to the IUCN, their global population remains drastically lower than it was before European colonization.
Today, green turtles are still threatened by pollution, habitat destruction, climate-related impacts, and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.
The latest update to the Red List also delivered troubling news from the Arctic. As global warming accelerates, sea ice continues to vanish at alarming rates, pushing several species – including hooded seals – from Vulnerable to Endangered status.
Harp and bearded seals have likewise been reclassified as Near Threatened.
These species depend on stable sea ice to rest, breed, and hunt, but their habitats are rapidly disappearing under the growing impacts of climate change.
