Green Sea Turtle’s Status Upgraded to Least Concern — Global Victory for Marine Conservation

In a landmark decision at the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress, the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) has been formally down-listed from Endangered to Least Concern.  This dramatic shift reflects a 28% global population increase since the 1970s.
It’s not just a win for one species — it signals that coordinated, long-term conservation efforts can yield meaningful results. 

About the Green Sea Turtle

• Scientific name: Chelonia mydas

• Distinguishing features: Among the largest sea turtles, primarily herbivorous as adults (feeding on seagrasses and algae), and named for the greenish colour of their fat.

• Habitat & range: Found in tropical and subtropical seas across the globe, migrating between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. 

Why the Status Change Happened

This down-listing is the result of sustained efforts across multiple fronts:

• Protection of nesting beaches, ensuring adult females can lay eggs unimpeded.

• Implementation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) and other gear modifications to reduce by-catch in fisheries.

• Community-based conservation programmes and international collaboration that helped reverse historic declines.

• Monitoring and data collection that verified a ~28% rise in global numbers since the 1970s. 

What This Status Change Means

• Milestone for marine conservation: It shows that concerted global efforts can move a species away from the brink.

• But not the end of the story: Although down-listed, Green Sea Turtles still face significant threats and are “significantly depleted” compared to historic levels.

• Focus shifts: The challenge now is to maintain this progress — protecting remaining sub-populations, improving habitats, and guarding against new threats (climate change, habitat loss, by-catch).

Major Threats That Still Persist

• By-catch in fishing gear: Even with TEDs, turtles continue to be incidentally captured.

• Habitat loss & coastal development: Nesting beaches are vulnerable to erosion, sea-level rise and human disturbance.

• Illegal harvesting: In some regions, turtles and eggs are still exploited.

• Regional declines: Some sub-populations have not recovered and remain at risk (e.g., certain Pacific rookeries).

Key Takeaways for Conservation & You

• Recovery is possible, but not guaranteed. Continued vigilance, funding and community involvement are needed.

• Healthy sea turtle populations indicate healthy marine ecosystems — seagrass beds, coral reefs, nesting beaches.

• Every action counts: reducing plastic pollution, supporting sustainable fisheries, participating in beach clean-ups and avoiding disturbance of nesting turtles.

• Celebrate the win, but keep working — this is a turning point, not a finish line.

Conclusion

The re‐classification of the Green Sea Turtle from Endangered to Least Concern is a rare conservation success story — proof that long-term, global, multisectoral efforts bear fruit. The species still has a challenging road ahead, but for now, it is turning a corner.
Let this moment fuel further ambition: if a globally distributed marine turtle can recover, perhaps other threatened species might next follow.