GUANGZHOU, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A thriving colony of protected green sea turtles has been found in lagoon seagrass beds on China's Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The research team is from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the CAS, based in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Their preliminary counts put the local turtle population at over 50 in this island lagoon.
Their field survey confirmed that the lagoon hosts a mature, interconnected coral reef-seagrass ecosystem that provides high-quality habitats for sea turtles and other marine fauna.
The scientists said China's conservation efforts have helped foster dense and healthy seagrass, which is the primary food source for green sea turtles.
They also observed expanding sandbars adjacent to the seagrass beds, exposed during low tide. These landforms are poised to become prime nesting sites for green and hawksbill sea turtles, turning Huangyan Dao into a full lifecycle habitat for these marine reptiles.
The expedition team relied on drone technology to track and identify turtle population, capturing rare footage of dozens of green sea turtles swimming together. Unlike conventional fieldwork, drones minimize disruption to marine life.
Green sea turtles are classified as a first-class state protected wild species in China. In 2025, Chinese scientists documented a complete green sea turtle hatching process on the beaches of Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, marking the first such observation.
In September 2025, China formally approved to establish the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve to safeguard the island's coral reef ecosystem. Administered under the city of Sansha, south China's Hainan Province, the reserve spans 3,523.67 hectares.
A 2025 assessment jointly published by the South China Sea Ecological Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and partner research institutions found Huangyan Dao's coral reef ecosystem to be in generally sound health. The same report recorded 135 species of hermatypic corals across 36 genera and 13 families in this reserve. ■
