Green turtles just climbed all the way from endangered to 'least concern'

The IUCN moved green turtles from endangered to least concern. In Sabah, Malaysia, Turtle Islands nesting has tripled since the 1970s to more than 20,000 nests a year — protected since 1977, with meat and egg consumption banned in 1997. Sitti Rasah Abdul, 50, and a 20-member women's cooperative on Omadal island have relocated turtle eggs to hatcheries since 2012, self-funded with 10% of their handicraft and catering revenue; Mataking Reef Resort owner Sophia Sie went from about 600 eggs collected in 2006 to about 36,000 today; and Universiti Malaysia Sabah professor Juanita Joseph's genetic research built Shellbank, the world's first global turtle DNA database, helping target poachers.