Tell Mexico: Protect Endangered Sea Turtles Defenders of Wildlife
go to original August 5, 2013

For more than 65 years, Defenders of Wildlife has led the fight to save threatened and endangered species with innovative approaches that help wolves, polar bears, big cats, and other imperiled wildlife survive in an ever-changing world.

About the Petition

Of the seven known species of sea turtles, six are found in waters off the coasts of the United States, Mexico and Canada: green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, loggerhead, and olive ridley. (The seventh species, the flatback sea turtle, is only found in Australia.) At one time millions of sea turtles swam in our oceans but now all six of the species found in North American waters are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act and  are included on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.Defenders of Wildlife

Why They’re Important

Sea turtles have been around since the dinosaurs. They are a food source for many species and provide essential functions for marine and coastal environments. As just one example, on the coastal dune systems, the egg shells left over after sea turtles hatch become essential nutrients for dune vegetation. This, in turn,  prevents the dunes from eroding so they continue to provide protection against storms and sea swells. As with all wildlife, protecting one species has a large ripple effect throughout the ecosystem.

Major Threats

About 1 in 1,000 baby sea turtles will make it to adulthood. The biggest threats to sea turtles by far are related to human activities. These include: habitat loss due to coastal development and urbanization, disturbance from artificial lighting, capture in commercial fisheries, eating or getting entangled in marine debris, oil spills, human poaching and off-road vehicle use on beaches.

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