In the video above, Glenn Beck goes crazy over sea turtle and sea otter conservation. Most certainly, Glenn Beck channels Republican contempt for conservation, environmentalism, environmental regulations, and science. However, there is a great utility in preserving nature and natural landscapes. We all benefit from clean air and water in addition to the preservation of biodiversity—even Glenn Beck.

Furthermore, international sea turtle conservation work in countries such as Mexico is important, because sea turtles do not follow political boundaries. As a result, conservation efforts and gains in the United States are threatened by the lack of environmental regulation, protections, and conservation efforts in other countries.

The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species, and “the recent nesting increase can be attributed to full protection of nesting females and their nests in Mexico, and the requirement to use turtle excluder devices in shrimp trawls both in the United States and Mexico.” More from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

In 1966, conservation efforts for the Kemp’s ridley were initiated on the beach near Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico. This locale is the only place in the world where large nesting aggregations of this sea turtle were and are known to occur. From 1966 to 1987, conservation efforts focused on the area of Rancho Nuevo with one turtle protection camp. In 1978, the U.S. joined with Mexico at Rancho Nuevo in a bi-national effort to prevent the extinction of the Kemp’s ridley. In 1988, this bi-national program expanded to the south and another camp was added. In 1989, a third camp was established when the program was expanded to the north of Rancho Nuevo. By 1997, a total of seven camps had been established along the Tamaulipas and Veracruz coasts to allow for increased nest protection efforts.

The Mexico government also prohibits harvesting and is working to increase the population through more intensive law enforcement, by fencing nest areas to diminish natural predation, and by relocating all nests into corrals to prevent poaching and predation. While relocation of nests into corrals is currently a necessary management measure, this relocation and concentration of eggs into a “safe” area is of concern since it makes the eggs more susceptible to reduced viability due to movement-induced mortality, disease vectors, catastrophic events like hurricanes, and marine predators once the predators learn where to concentrate their efforts.

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