Huidong Harbor Sea Turtle National Nature Reserve. 11/01/02; Guangdong; 400 ha; 22°33'N 114°54'E. National Nature Reserve. At the juncture of Daya Bay and Honghai Bay in the South China Sea, presently the only sea turtle protected area in China, with seawater and gently-sloping sandy beaches still in good environmental quality and eminently suitable for sea turtles, which have traditionally been regarded as a divine species and symbol of longevity and good luck in the region. The beach, 1,000m long and 70m wide, surrounded by mountains on the three landward sides, supports as many as 400-500 Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas), an IUCN Red List endangered species, during egg-laying. The area is under collective ownership, and the site has been delimited as a fishery protected area by local government - since it received Reserve status in 1992, fishery stocks have benefited. It is felt that the boundaries of the present Reserve, demarcated in 1986, are somewhat too restricted for its conservation purposes, and efforts are being made to expand it. Artificial incubation and breeding ponds have been established to assist young turtles when adverse conditions, such as bad weather, warrant. Ramsar site no. 1150. Most recent RIS information: 2001.