SAVING BABY SEA TURTLES

ENVIRONMENT We're not the only ones who flock to the beach: Sea turtles swim ashore to lay their eggs in the sand, then the babies waddle their way back to the water after they hatch.

- BY Emily Goodman

But on the beaches of Sri Lanka—where five of the world’s seven sea turtle species nest—many of these turtles-to-be are more likely to end up on a menu than in the ocean. Local laws prohibiting the capture and sale of sea turtle eggs haven't done enough to protect them from poachers, as restaurants continue to fetch high prices for them from tourists.

Enter the Pearl Protectors. These volunteers patrol popular beaches overnight, which is when newly hatched turtles are most likely to make their trek to the sea. The Pearl Protectors not only ensure the younglings’ safe passage, they also relocate any unhatched eggs they find to safer stretches of beach with less foot traffic. Because even people who aren't looking to take turtles’ eggs can still disturb them: The noise (and waste) beachgoers make deters turtles from laying eggs in the first place.