On a small stretch of Lagos coastline, Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mugbo had been leading an independent effort to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles that are victims of plastic pollution and illegal fishing along the Atlantic coastline.

After weeks of treatment, Mugbo releases the turtles back into the ocean, part of a grassroots push to protect Nigeria’s fast-declining marine wildlife.

Sea turtles are recognised globally as an indicator species for ocean health, and several of their populations are classified as endangered or critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Nigeria’s long Atlantic coastline is home to at least four species, including olive ridley and leatherback turtles, but researchers say plastic pollution, coastal erosion and unregulated fishing are accelerating their decline due to fishing activities.

Chinedu believes in addressing the issue of the decline of these endangered species, "It's quite important that we balance this system of conservation and consumption.’

“We need to see that and teach these local people, the people in the local community that…without the sea turtles they will not be able to fish,’ he added.

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that more than 11 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the world’s oceans annually, a figure projected to nearly triple by 2040 unless urgent action is taken.

In Lagos, Africa’s most populous city, inadequate waste management and fast-rising urbanisation have made its coastal waters a major collection point for plastics washing in from open drains and informal dumpsites.

Global environmental agencies have warned that West Africa’s coastal biodiversity is facing one of the fastest rates of degradation worldwide, driven by rapid population growth, industrial fishing and heavy plastic inflow.

The UN projects that ocean plastic could outweigh fish by 2050 unless current trends are reversed.