The Ivory Coast government decided to create the country's first marine protected area in December 2020. The sea turtle population is starting to flourish now that they're no longer a food source for the locals, but a drawing card for tourists who come to watch them hatch.

Now that Ivory Coast is enjoying its first marine protected area, the seabed and sea creatures like turtles and stingrays have a chance to recover from human onslaught. And what better custodians of the sea than former poachers turned antipoaching rangers?