In the South China Sea, Chinese workers on the Yongle Islands are helping to protect sea turtles from poachers. They are collecting eggs spawned on beaches and breeding the animals before releasing them into the wild.

These are the Yongle Islands, the west part of the Xisha Islands that lie in the middle of the South China Sea. The area is important habitat for sea turtles. Every year from May to October, sea turtles lumber onto the beaches to spawn and breed. In an effort to protect them from poachers, staff on the islands are collecting the eggs for artificial breeding.

“Along with staff from Xiamen University, last year we established a research program for sea turtles in the South China Sea. We plan to send back the grown-up turtles back into the sea,” said Zhou Jinfeng, secretary of China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation.

These little baby creatures are green turtles. They are just three-months old. They are named “green” because they always eat seaweed, so they have a lot of chlorophyll in their bodies.

“There are a total of 55 green turtles in the headquarters. Before we send them back to the sea, we will feed them until they grow to weigh about a half kilogram,” said Mao Ruo, staff member of Yongle Islands Administrative Committee.

The green turtle population has shrunk globally because of rampant poaching and other natural factors. In recent years, a number of research and conservation projects have been carried out in the South China Sea, to protect the local environment. But experts say the region’s ecosystem can be better protected, through the establishment of a national eco-park and turtle habitat conservation zone.

“We suggest that a national eco-park should be built in Xisha Islands or other surrounding islands. In this way to protect the ecosystem and peculiar landforms there. And, we should try to find a balance between protection and development,” said Professor Wang Yamin, Marine College of Shandong University.