Young conservationists.

A group of children in Cozumel helped release some 700 baby turtles, last week, as part of an island education program. The budding young conservationists were invited by the municipality's Marine Turtle Protection Committee, to learn about the important work they do on the island's beaches.

Sea turtles dig nests in the sand and lay thousands of eggs on Cozumel's east coast each year between May and November.

The committee works hard to protect them by finding and moving the eggs carefully to safe areas, and then releasing the babies after they hatch.

Cozumel's Director of Ecology, Héctor González, said that in 2010 they protected and released 4,295 hatchlings and that this year they hope the number will be even higher.

Children helped release some 700 baby turtles.

The children attending the event were from the island's child development centers and a program for minors and adolescents at risk.

The local government said that the objective was to create awareness among the youngsters of the importance of preserving Cozumel's environment and natural resources.

Recently hatched baby turtle.

Islanders first started informally protecting sea turtle nests over 20 years ago, but it wasn't until 2003 that official protected areas were created by Mexico's federal environmental agency.

Conservation work mostly takes place at night and includes beach patrols, protection of mothers and nests, and the identification and counting of turtle nests and babies.

According to González, for every thousand baby turtles that make it to the sea, only one reaches the adult age of 25 years.