On the remote Aldabra Atoll in the western Indian Ocean, the night beach comes alive under the moonlight: female green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) crawl slowly across the sand, leaving tracks resembling those of enormous tires. Half a century ago, such scenes were rare — the population here was barely holding on.
In the late nineteenth century, up to 12 thousand turtles were taken on the atoll each year. By the 1960s, the number of nests had fallen to 2–3 thousand per year. The hunting ban of 1968 marked the beginning of the longest continuous period of nesting-site protection in the region. Today researchers record more than 15 thousand clutches annually — an increase of 173 percent since 1980.
A similar picture is seen on many beaches around the world. In October 2025, the International Union for Conservation of Nature moved green turtles from the category "endangered" to "least concern." According to IUCN estimates, the global population has grown by roughly 28 percent since the 1970s, and eight of the eleven regional populations are now considered least concern.
Yet behind the overall success lies unevenness. Some populations in the south-central Pacific, the eastern and south-western Pacific, and the northern Indian Ocean remain vulnerable. Pressure from bycatch, poaching and climate change continues.
On Aldabra, the increase is especially pronounced on Settlement Beach, where harvesting was once most intensive. Females reach sexual maturity at 25–35 years, so the effect of the ban only became apparent decades later. Now, at the peak of the season, up to a hundred turtles can be seen here in a night.
Recovery depends on long-term protection and monitoring. In places with high human population density, such as the inner islands of the Seychelles, numbers remain low — dozens of nests a year versus thousands on remote atolls. The new global designation "least concern" should not create the illusion that the work is finished.
Long-term protection of nesting sites and reduction of threats at sea allow populations to grow, but success requires constant attention to vulnerable regions and local factors.
