A Turtle Success Story in the Philipines   In 2011, green sea turtles laid a staggering 1.44 million eggs on just one island in the Philippines thanks to conservation efforts, breaking all previous records. The graceful and enigmatic green turtle faces a variety of threats globally, and as a result is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Yet there is some good news for this marine reptile, as Conservation International (CI) announces that the species has laid a record number of eggs on a small island in the Philippines.
Since 1984, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has kept records of nesting activity on Baguan Island in the southern Philippines, one of nine islands forming the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), a unique sanctuary jointly managed by Malaysia and the Philippines. The DENR has reported that a grand total of 14,220 green turtle nests were counted in 2011, breaking the previous record of 12,311 set in 1995.
Country Executive Director for CI in the Philippines, Romeo Trono, was astonished at the news, \"1.44 million eggs is an astounding number for a nesting beach that’s only a little over 1 kilometre in length. This presents great hope for boosting green turtle populations. With an average of 90% hatching success and 1% survival rate up to sexual maturity, Baguan in 2011 alone could contribute up to 13,000 to the adult turtle population.\"