The green turtle had been listed as endangered since the 1980s
The green turtle has made a remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction, with scientists hailing it as a major global conservation success.
Once hunted heavily for its meat, eggs, and decorative shells, the species had been listed as endangered since the 1980s. Now it has been downgraded to Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Decades of conservation measures, including protecting nesting beaches, releasing hatchlings, reducing fishing net deaths, and public education, have helped the green turtle populations rebound.
IUCN’s new Red List includes 172,620 species, with 48,646 now threatened with extinction—including Arctic seals, which face tough lives due to the melting of sea ice.