I know, I know. We’ve been talking about sea turtles a lot on the blog these days. And it’s not just because they’re awesome and cute and amazing (although they are all of those things).

As this video from TEDed so elegantly explains, sea turtles are under siege from many of the threats Ocean Conservancy works so hard to address every day. Their nesting grounds are threatened by marine debris and habitat loss or degradation, their lives at sea are further threatened by unsustainable fishing practices, floating waste and toxins, including oil spills. According to the video, sea turtles are under such pressure that their survival rate now stands at 1 percent or less between each nesting cycle.

In short, sea turtles are an embodiment—a perfect analogy—for why we fight every day for trash free seas, habitat protection and restoration, sustainable fishing practices, a balanced use for our oceans and an end to unsafe and reckless drilling practices.

All eight sea turtle species are either extinct or threatened and given the odds laid out by this video, it’s easy to see why:

• If 1,000 eggs are laid by a female sea turtle,
• 800 may hatch,
• 400 turtles may make it to the water,
• 200 may survive long enough to progress toward adulthood,
• 20 survive to breeding age without human interference,
• 2 make it to breeding age with human interference.

(Video found on Laughing Squid.)