Zakynthos Island, Ionian Islands, Greece

Zante, 10 mi (16 km) off the coast of the Peloponnesian peninsula, southernmost of the Ionian Islands and the second largest, owes its name to the abundance of wild hyacinths that grow there. Part of the island features impressive limestone cliffs with streaks of white gypsum which, through erosion and several earthquakes—the most significant in 1953—crumbles into beaches of fine sand. The density of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) population laying their eggs on these beaches is the highest in the world. But boat propellers, pollution, urbanization of the coasts, and disruptions due to tourists have diminished the number of sea turtles coming to reproduce on the island, which now varies between 800 and 2,000 individuals. Preservation and public awareness measures instituted in 1981 and reinforced in 2000 with the creation of the Zakynthos National Marine Park, are starting to bear fruit. A few emblematic species such as sea turtles enjoy wide-scale protection programs, but they only represent the tip of the iceberg: on a global scale, one-quarter of mammal species, one-third of fish species, and one-eighth of bird species are threatened with extinction.