May 23 is World Turtle Day. It was designated in 2000 by an American turtle conservation organization, American Tortoise Rescue. They designated World Turtle Day to prevent the extinction of turtles. Of these, sea turtles are particularly at risk of extinction.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) manages endangered species through the Red List and assigns grades according to the risk of extinction. Sea turtles are classified as Endangered (EN) on the Red List. Endangered species are highly likely to become extinct in the near future.

The number of sea turtles is declining. The reason why sea turtles are facing extinction is again due to climate change. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beaches, but as humans develop coastal areas, there are fewer places for sea turtles to lay their eggs.

Sea turtles are amazing animals whose sex is determined by the temperature of the sand where their eggs are buried. However, as the Earth's temperature rises, so does the temperature of the sand, resulting in a severe sex ratio imbalance with an overwhelming number of female sea turtles. If the sex ratio is imbalanced, breeding may not occur properly, further reducing the population of sea turtles.

Sea turtles often appear in articles about marine debris, and they are one of the most representative animals that are harmed by marine debris. Sea turtles identify their food by smell. When microorganisms grow on plastic bags floating in the sea, sea turtles smell them and mistake them for food. In Korea, an autopsy of 58 sea turtles revealed that 20% of them had died from eating marine debris.

Sea turtles are already in danger due to climate change, and many people are poaching them. Sea turtles are caught and made into steaks, soups, and even their eggs are sold for food. Hawksbill turtles, for example, have shells with beautiful patterns, so they are made into jewelry, and their skin is used to make bags and shoes. Hawksbill turtles, which are overfished in this way, are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, indicating that they are facing a serious risk of extinction in the near future.

Sea turtles play an important role in the marine ecosystem. They eat seaweed and help regulate carbon dioxide in the ocean. Some claim that the carbon dioxide regulation ability of sea turtles is better than that of forests. If sea turtles become extinct, the marine ecosystem will also be in jeopardy.

To protect sea turtles and the ocean, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have worked together to designate all species of sea turtles as endangered. As a result, countries are working to protect sea turtles. More efforts are needed to protect sea turtles in the future.