Only one or two out of a thousand sea turtle hatchlings will survive to adulthood under natural conditions. The threats faced by sea turtles in the ocean present the greatest challenges to conservationists.

Sea turtles serve as biological transporters by moving nutrients and energy from foraging grounds to nesting beaches, in the form of eggs. Only one third of these nutrients return to the marine environment as hatchlings. The rest remains in the terrestrial ecosystem and is transferred to the soil, plants and animals.