Green Sea Turtles, Chelonia mydas, is a widespread marine Turtle, found across tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, as well associated seas. Due to this widespread distribution, it is probably also the most numerous Turtle species. However, it has historically been hunted by Humans across its range, with both adults and eggs being considered desirable foods and the skin used to make leather for luxury goods. High levels of hunting, combined with a slow reproductive cycle (the average generation time for Green Sea Turtles is 45 years) led to the species being listed as Endangered under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species in 1982, and subsequently all trade in Green Turtles or Green Turtle-derived products been banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
A Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas. Xanthe Rivett/International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The conservation status of Green Sea Turtles has subsequently been reviewed in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2004, and 2023. During this time many countries across its range have enacted laws to protect both the species and its breeding grounds, and raised public awareness across the globe of the threat to a fairly charismatic species has made the consumption of Turtles and their eggs much less acceptable in many places (although the practice has never completely ceased).
On 10 October 2025 the conservation status of the Green Sea Turtle was updated from Endangered to Least Concern. This is based upon the observation of 526 000 clutches of eggs hatching successfully in 2024, a 28% increase on the estimated breeding success rate for the mid twentieth century; because adult Green Sea Turtles are solitary animals widely distributed across the worlds oceans, it has never been possible to assess their adult population directly.
This does not mean that all threats to Green Sea Turtles have been eliminated. The species is still consumed in places, it is widely caught as a by-catch of fishing fleets, and it breeds on sandy tropical beaches highly desirable to developers. It is also considered to be vulnerable to the effects of global warming, as well as plastic waste in the oceans. Several populations of Green Sea Turtles are still considered to be locally threatened. Nevertheless, there is not now thought to be any immediate danger of the species becoming extinct.
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