Recent human activities have created new causes of death and greater mortality amongst sea turtle populations. Many populations worldwide now face threats from a combination of human factors. These include:

• Changes to important turtle habitats
• Boat strikes
• Rubbish
• Commercial and recreational fishing activities
• Unsustainable traditional and subsistence hunting
• Poor water quality
• Feral animal predation
• Tourist souvenirs

If these threats are allowed to continue at their present rates, we could see the extinction of some sea turtle species within our own lifetimes.