Green Sea Turtles Went From ‘Endangered’ to ‘Threatened' Status, Proving Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act

Years of conservation efforts in hopes to prevent the extinction of the endangered green sea turtles in Florida and the Pacific Coast of Mexico has finally paid off, as federal wildlife officials reclassified the species to "threatened" status.

Dan Ashe, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement that the reclassification of the green sea turtle in Florida and Mexico only proves the effectiveness of the partnerships between federal agencies, states, NGOs and even countries inspired by the Endangered Species Act.

The final rule to change the listing of green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act was issued on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It will take effect on May 6.

According to a Florida Today report, NOAA and FWS are also planning to divide the green sea turtles globally into 11 distinct population segments to allow a more targeted approach in tackling different threats faced by the turtles.

The primary threats to the lives of green sea turtles include getting tangled in fishnets, destruction of their habitat, harvesting of their meat and eggs, as well as diseases.

Out of the 11 populations, three will be reclassified as "endangered."

These three populations are in the Mediterranean Sea, Central West Pacific and Central South Pacific Ocean, reported Tech Times.

CNN reported that this is not the first time that NOAA and FWS have reclassified or delisted an animal from the endangered list

Other animals that bounced back from the brink of extinction include the red kangaroo, Virginia northern flying squirrel, American alligator, gray wolf, American perigene falcon, brown pelican, bald eagle, Louisiana black bear, stellar sea lion, gray whale, west Indian manatee, delnarua peninsula fox squirrel, Columbia white-tailed deer, Aleutian Canada goose and lake eerie water snake.