Tetiaroa is one of the most important green sea turtle nesting locations in all of French Polynesia. This year alone, 300 nests have been identified on the island with over 25,000 baby turtles born.

Adult green sea turtles migrate over long distances to finally reach the shores of pristine, isolated islands to safely lay their eggs.

Green sea turtles will return to the same nesting location every 2 to 5 years throughout their 70 to 80-year lifespan; preserving these environments is therefore vital to protecting the species.

Sea turtles face many threats, including plastic pollution, global climate change that distorts food supplies and affects sex ratios of juveniles (a turtle’s sex is determined by the temperature of eggs in the nest, with high incubation temperatures producing female turtles), coastal development restricting access to nesting beaches, light pollution which confuses hatchling baby turtles, and poaching for meat consumption.

Te Mana O Te Moana studies green sea turtles since 2004 and is the only organization to have collected long-term data on nesting behaviors in French Polynesia. This research is crucial to developing green sea turtle conservation and protection plans across all Polynesian islands.

Please visit Te Mana O Te Moana and Tetiaroa Society for more information and direct donations.