photographer Matthew Smith photographed this stunning close-up of a newly hatched hawksbill turtle in the Bismarck Sea

photographer Matthew Smith photographed this stunning close-up of a newly hatched hawksbill turtle in the Bismarck Sea. He said, "Elders in the villages of Northern Papua New Guinea told me of the sad decline in numbers of these turtles, noticeable in their lifetime. A small project has been set up there on the island of Lissenung to educate locals about the vulnerability of these animals and to protect nests from poachers."

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW SMITH