More than two years after the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) advised the Puducherry Forest Department to prepare a management and conservation plan for sea turtles, especially Olive Ridleys listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and to declare two beaches in the Union Territory as “Community or Conservation Reserves”, the government is yet to roll out any plan for protecting the turtles.
A significant portion of the world’s Olive Ridley population migrates every winter from the Southern Indian Ocean to Odisha for mass nesting. The coastline of Puducherry is used as a migratory route by these sea turtles. About 60-400-km stretch of the coast of Puducherry is largely used by migratory sea turtles from October to April every year.
Natural phenomena
However, beach erosion because of natural phenomena as well as rapid urbanisation had reduced the nesting habitats of sea turtles and resulted in a drastic reduction in their nesting along Puducherry coast.
According to K. Sivakumar, Senior Principal Scientist and Head, Department of Endangered Species Management, WII, “The Forest Department of Puducherry had asked for a conservation and protection plan for sea turtles in the Union Territory. This was taken up as a special case by the WII not only for conservation of sea turtles but other marine animals as an overall measure.”
He said the Puducherry beach habitat was critical for the recovery and maintenance of threatened Olive Ridley turtle populations.
“The Forest Department with the help of NGOs have taken up protection of turtle nests primarily of sporadic nests by relocating them to a hatchery and subsequently releasing them into the sea. Though these initiatives are definitely helpful, there has been no systematic or proper management of the hatcheries,” he said.
The stretch between Nallavadu and Moorthykuppam in Puducherry and the Arasalar beach in Karaikal have been identified as important nesting sites for sea turtles in the Union Territory.
Anthropogenic threats
According to WII report, Puducherry coast has been facing threats of erosion owing to natural disasters, pollution, exploitation and anthropogenic activities. On an average, over 100 nests of Olive Ridleys were reported from the beaches near Nallavadu-Pannithittu-Narambai villages every year before 2004. But now the nests have reduced to 30 to 40 in last three seasons from 2015 to 2017.
“Anthropogenic activities such as changes in the land-use pattern adjoining the beaches, lightings along the shorelines, solid pollutants thrown on the beaches and man-made engineering structures along coasts, predation of nests by feral dogs and people, incidental killings during fishing and unregulated tourism on the nesting sites are said to be the main reason.
Most of the Puducherry coasts have been modified in the last 50 years because of various development activities except a few stretches, and this appears to be the primary reason for preference of sea turtle to nest on the beaches of Nallavadu and Pannithittu villages in Puducherry and Arasalar beach in Karaikal,” the report said.
An analysis of the coastal satellite images of Puducherry based on visual interpretation revealed prominent changes in land use and land cover of the coasts. About 24% of agricultural land in Nallavadu and 27.4% in Vanjur (Karaikal) were compromised for aquaculture while built up areas rose by 78% in Vanjur and 34% in Nallavadu.
According to WII report, Arasalar and Nallavadu are fast degrading and if no protective steps are taken, the nesting of sea turtles will be destroyed in the next five years.
WII has proposed that both the areas be declared as “Community or Conservation Reserve” under the Wildlife Protection Act. The local community should be involved to officially protect the sea turtles and the site could be declared as a protected site.
According to Mr. Sivakumar, a two-pronged strategy should be adopted by involving the local community for conservation of sea turtles and promoting eco-tourism. The involvement of the local community will not only ensure protection of turtles but also promote eco-tourism in the region.
Every home in the coastal hamlets should be involved in the conservation of turtles. Every 100 metres of the beach should be protected and the department could provide ₹10,000 to the locals for successful conservation. A similar scheme is being implemented in Maharashtra.
Turtle scholarships
In an effort aimed at creating awareness, WII has suggested a unique participatory programme, the Turtle Scholarship Scheme to engage the local fishermen at the grassroots level. Under the scheme, schoolchildren in the identified hamlets could be provided with a scholarship of ₹500 a month for two years to support their education.
The students will become part of an extensive Turtle Volunteer Network known as the “Friends of Turtles Network”. The children will not drop out from school and parents will be keen to protect turtles.
A similar initiative has been taken up in the Gulf of Mannar for the Dugong called the Sea Cow.
