A green sea turtle undergoes treatment at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy. Photo credit: Vanessa Kahn/New England Aquarium
BOSTON – The New England Aquarium is celebrating decades of hard work paying off in the wake of the announcement that green sea turtles have received an improved conservation designation from “Endangered” to “Least Concern.”
The announcement was made by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at its World Conservation Congress currently being held in Abu Dhabi.
Experts with the Aquarium, which has been at the forefront of green sea turtle research and spends months each year treating and rehabilitating them from hypothermic conditions at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, say the species’ global population has increased by 28 percent since the 1970s.
The Aquarium’s research includes close study of sea turtle movement, behavior, and post-release survivorship using innovative methods such as satellite and acoustic tagging.
“This is a major win for sea turtles that illustrates the power that global conservation efforts can have over time,” said Dr. Letise LaFeir, Chief of Conservation and Stewardship at the New England Aquarium in attendance at the IUCN Congress.
Research scientist Dr. Kara Dodge said “the best way to safeguard green sea turtles for future generations is through collaborative research and science-based protections. We hope the work we’re doing will help keep the species moving in a positive direction.”
Massachusetts and California recently announced that the two states will be the first in the country to join the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, bringing the state into closer collaboration with a 1,400 strong partnership of governments and non-government associations.
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