Green turtles are Least Concern globally, but some populations remain at risk

Green turtles are globally classified as Least Concern, and an AFP report published on 8 October 2026 describes conservation gains in Malaysia’s Sabah state. The classification dates to 2025. For readers assessing the recovery, the distinction matters: the IUCN marine turtle specialist group still lists several regional green turtle populations as threatened or Near Threatened.

AFP reports that nesting on Sabah’s Turtle Islands has risen to more than 20,000 nests a year, triple the level in the 1970s, citing Sabah Parks director Maklarin Lakim. That local figure points to a substantial increase in recorded nesting. It does not mean every green turtle population has recovered, or measure how many hatchlings survive to adulthood.

What the green turtle’s global status means

The IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group lists the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, as globally Least Concern, with 2025 given as the year of that assessment. AFP’s October 2026 account revisits that change and the work behind it; it does not report a further reassessment this year. The status describes the species at a global scale, so regional entries are essential to understanding where risks persist.

On the specialist group’s list, the Central South Pacific green turtle population is Endangered. The East Pacific and North Indian Ocean populations are Vulnerable, while the Central West Pacific population is Near Threatened. Four other listed populations are Least Concern: Hawaiian or Central Pacific, South Atlantic, Southwest Indian Ocean, and East Indian–West Pacific. The range of classifications is a clearer guide to local conditions than the global label alone.

How protection has worked in Sabah

On nearby Omadal island, AFP describes a women’s cooperative that has moved eggs from beaches to a hatchery since 2012 to protect them from predators and poachers. The group has 20 members and now puts 10% of revenue from its handicraft and catering work into turtle protection. Its approach illustrates the community effort involved in protecting nests alongside formal restrictions.

Turtle researcher Juanita Joseph told AFP she cried when the global Least Concern classification was announced. She had spent years working on turtle conservation in Malaysia, including genetic research. Her reaction reflects the significance of the change to people involved in the work, while the specialist group’s regional classifications show why protection remains necessary.

Threats that still face marine turtles

AFP reports that turtles are taken for food and shells, die in fishing nets, and face development and pollution at nesting beaches and feeding grounds. It also reports that warmer nest conditions can produce more female hatchlings because temperature affects sex development in eggs. These pressures can continue even where nesting has increased or a species’ global risk category has improved.

A separate IUCN marine turtle assessment published in April 2025 examined 48 populations across six species. It found that more than 40% were in its Low Risk–Low Threat category, up from 23% in 2011. That finding covers multiple turtle species and populations; it is not a green turtle survival rate. The assessment identified fisheries bycatch as the most pressing global threat to sea turtles, alongside coastal development, pollution, climate change and the taking of turtles and eggs.

The same assessment placed nine populations, mainly in the Pacific, in its High Risk–High Threat category and found that leatherbacks had the highest combined risk and threat scores among the populations studied. Its authors called for stronger fisheries management, international cooperation and continued support for community-led conservation. The broader findings put the green turtle’s improvement in context: progress for one species can coexist with serious risks elsewhere.

What remains uncertain

The specialist group’s published list supports the green turtle’s 2025 global classification, but it does not establish a new status change in 2026. Nor can the Turtle Islands nesting figure alone show how many young turtles will reach adulthood. AFP’s report describes a conservation gain in Sabah; the regional assessments identify where the global picture remains less secure. Continued monitoring will be needed to show how those populations change.