Green turtles bounce back
It's always good to hear Good News, and today, on Friday 10th October 2025, the BBC announced on the news that the green turtle has bounced back from extinction.
It was great that they featured this story on the lunch time news, and it made such a change from the usual tales of woe you normally hear on news channels.
Scientists are calling this bounce back a major conservation victory. Efforts to prevent the green turtle from becoming extinct include:
protecting eggs
releasing hatchlings into the sea
reducing accidental capture in fishing nets and giving the turtles an escape route
education and awareness to reduce turtles being killed for eggs and meat
patrolling beaches
Professor Brendan Godley at the University of Exeter explained that there have been big efforts over the last five decades to help green turtles. And the battle to save them isn't over yet because the numbers of green turtles are well below the numbers they were in the past. This is due to over-exploitation and threats such as fishing, climate change and the loss of habitat. So it is essential to keep the work going.
Sea creatures are at risk from the activities of humans, as you can see from the video below; huge thanks to the wonderful team who helped this turtle back into the water.
There is so much to think about and worry about now in the world, it's really good to see how a group of people, working together over a period of time, have had a positive impact and made a difference. Focus, determination, a sustainable approach and expertise have surely helped change things for the better. Well done to everyone involved!
More success this week...
Of course, we need to keep going and keep striving for change and success....so while I'm thinking about successful efforts, to show you there are others happening, in the UK, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust planted over 2,000 seagrass seeds in April this year in the River Hamble. And for the first time in 100 years, seagrass has now been see flourishing there! Seagrass meadows are habitats for marine life such as pipefish, cuttlefish and thornback rays and they help tackle the climate change by capturing carbon. Find out about the seagrass success here.
Meantime, in Scotland, there's a Buglife Partnership to set up the new Buglife Scotland partnership project. "Aberdeen Nectar Networks" will restore up to eight hectares of wildflower-rich habitat across Aberdeen. This should set Aberdeen a buzz! It's following on from an earlier project with Aberdeen City Council and it will protect and expand pollinator habitats. Cove Woodland Trust, Robert Gordon University, and NHS Grampian are joining in this time, and they will help deliver habitat enhancements across local sites. Every buzz matters! Find out more from Buglife here.
These are just three examples of what's being done to help nature and wildlife. We all need to grasp the horn by the nettles as the saying goes, and do something to help in whatever way we can. Join in the effort, by creating our own (e.g. making our space more wildlife friendly) and/or joining in a local, regional, national or international drive to help nature and wildlife.
Ever thought of a volunteer holiday?
Did you know that Responsible Travel have a list of wildlife volunteer holidays you can go on, including some for turtle conservation? The ethical directory lists a number of these in countries such as Belize, Greece, Costa Rica, the Seychelles and the Maldives. Find out more here.
The amazing image at the top of the page is by Kris-Mikael Krister. Thank you, Kris-Mikael!
Comments