Baby Turtles Face Predators, Heat, and Funding Cuts. One Group Fights Back.

Baby Turtles Face Predators, Heat, and Funding Cuts. One Group Fights Back describes how the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) is working to protect imperiled sea turtles amid intensifying threats. Founded in 1959 by Dr. Archie Carr, the organization says the risks now include fishing bycatch, plastic and other marine pollution, unsustainable coastal development, illegal harvesting for meat and the tortoiseshell trade, and boat strikes. STC reports species at greatest risk include leatherback, green turtle, loggerhead, hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley, with estimates such as 1–2 million loggerheads worldwide. The STC’s CEO-led leadership includes David Godfrey, who joined in 1993 and became executive director in 1997. The group also monitors nesting sites in field stations in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, and Bocas del Toro, Panama, and uses Argos satellite tracking to study migration shifts.