Sea turtles are among those animal species that are existentially threatened by human activities. Within the last century, their population has declined to a fraction of their former presence, and in some regions they are already locally extinct. All seven species are now endangered or threatened with extinction. In Indonesia, since 1999, all species of marine turtles are, on paper at least, under protection.
In the Indonesian Derawan archipelago off the east coast of the island of Borneo (province East Kalimantan), until the year 2000 nearly all eggs of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were exploited for human consumption by professional egg collectors. This resulted in a population decline of more than 91% within the last 50 years. The hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), which also occur in the Derawan Archipelago, are also threatened, because they are hunted for their shell.