Most Protected Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles Recovering
Here's a reason to celebrate. More than 75 percent of marine mammals and sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act are recovering, according to a new peer-reviewed study by scientists at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The study, published this week by the academic journal PLOS ONE, is a key addition to other Center studies tracking the Act's success.
For example, the numbers of North Atlantic green sea turtle nests on Florida beaches have increased more than 2,000 percent since the species was protected under the Act. And Hawaiian humpback whales increased more than 1,100 percent between 1979 and 2005.
"The Endangered Species Act not only saved whales, sea turtles, sea otters and manatees from extinction — it dramatically increased their population numbers, putting them solidly on the road to full recovery," said the Center's Shaye Wolf, a study coauthor.
Read more in Quartz.
|