Conservation Efforts Continue To Help Stabilize Turkey's Green Turtle Population

ADANA, TURKEY - AUGUST 24: Baby green sea turtles are collected from the surface of a nest after failing to make it to the sea after hatching the night before at Acyatan Beach on August 24, 2018 in Adana, Turkey. All seven marine turtle species around the world are classified as endangered or vulnerable, however due to recent conservation efforts, sea turtle numbers have stabilized and in some cases increased. Turkey is one of the most important nesting sites in the Mediterranean Sea for two of the seven species, the Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead Turtle) and the Green Sea Turtle. Tourism, habitat reduction, fishing and climate change are the main threats to the sea turtle populations in Turkey, however much has been done across the twenty-two beaches that are sea turtle nesting sites to insure the protection of females and nest sites. The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) in Turkey, runs a three-month operation every hatching season, from June to September. The operation involves a team of up to ten staff and volunteers, who primarily focus on nest protection activities as well as scientific and statistical data gathering on the turtle population. On the 22Km long Acyatan beach the team monitors more than 360 nests primarily of the endangered green turtle and a small number of loggerhead nests. Every morning team member comb the beach checking nests for new overnight hatchings and rescue any babies that were unable to make it to sea and are found at the nest as well as taking critical data such as the amount of eggs, nest sizes, temperatures and samples which are then sent for further analysis at various universities. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)