Sea Turtles

Threatened Populations
Healthy Populations
 
Most Threatened Populations (as of 2011)
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DOWNLOAD: PDFs of the threatened and healthy population maps (ZIP - 4.04 MB)


Four of the world's seven sea turtle species have populations among the world's 11 most threatened. Almost half (five) of these populations are found in the northern Indian Ocean on nesting beaches and in waters of countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Other areas that proved to be the most dangerous places for sea turtles were the East Pacific Ocean (from the U.S. to South America) and East Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of west Africa).

These locations were identified in a paper published in the online science journal PLoS ONE, "Global Conservation Priorities for Marine Turtles". The report was a collaboration of over 30 experts from 6 continents and more than 20 countries with diverse expertise in all aspects of sea turtle biology and conservation.

Olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the West Indian Ocean
Key nesting sites: India and Oman
Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
Key nesting sites: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar
Olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arribada population in the Northeast Indian Ocean
Key nesting sites: India
Olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
Key nesting sites: India and Sri Lanka
Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Northeast Indian Ocean
Key nesting sites: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the East Atlantic Ocean
Key nesting sites: Congo and Sao Tome et Principe
Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean
Key nesting sites: Cape Verde
Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the East Pacific Ocean
Key nesting sites: El Salvador, Nicaragua; Ecuador
Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the East Pacific Ocean
Key nesting sites: Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Pacific Ocean
Key nesting sites: Japan
Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the West Pacific Ocean
Key nesting sites: Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines
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