Sea Turtle

• These are large, air-breathing reptiles that live in tropical and subtropical seas all over the world.
• Their shells are made up of an upper section (carapace) and a lower section (plastron).
• Hard scales or scutes cover all but the leatherback, and the number and arrangement of these scutes can be used to identify the species.
• The upper shell, or carapace, of each sea turtle species, varies in length, color, shape, and scale arrangement.
• Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, and Flatback Sea Turtle are the seven sea turtle species.
• In Indian waters, there are five species (Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley).
• Though sea turtles are protected in India under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, consumption of turtle meat and eggs is prohibited by all except indigenous tribal communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including the Onges and Shompen.

Turtles in India

• Leatherback turtle (Dermicherlus coriacea)
• Hawksbill turtle (Eritmocheilus imbricate)
• Loggerhead turtle (Caretta)
• Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidocheilus olivaceae)

Need to protect Sea Turtles

What is the need to protect Sea Turtles?

• Sea turtles are incredible and beautiful creatures, but few people realize how large they can grow.
• Some can grow to be three meters long and weigh up to 750 kilograms, and many have stunningly beautiful shells.
• However, this is where the problem for many turtle species lies: they are being poached for their shells to the point of extinction.
• This, along with the frequent destruction of their natural habitats, is why sea turtle conservation is so critical.
• In light of this, the importance of turtle conservation efforts cannot be overstated, because if we want to ensure the future of these marine animals, we must act now.
• The Kemp Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle species, with numbers plummeting dramatically since the 1940s, when 100,000 were filmed nesting in one location.
• Almost all sea turtle species are now endangered, with three of the seven remaining species critically endangered.

Sea Turtle Project

What is the Sea Turtle Project?

• Every winter, a significant proportion of the world's Olive Ridley Turtle population migrates to Indian coastal waters to nest, primarily along the eastern coast.
• With the goal of conserving olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles, the Ministry of Environment and Forests launched the Sea Turtle Conservation Project in November 1999 in collaboration with UNDP, with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun serving as the implementing agency.
• The project is being carried out in ten coastal states of the country, with a particular emphasis on the state of Orissa.
• This project establishes guidelines for development activities in the area, with the goal of securing turtle breeding areas and protecting them from other types of disruptions.
• Furthermore, it provides funds for project development and monitoring. The satellite method is used to examine the nesting area of Olive Ridley Turtles.
• The project assisted in the preparation of the following:
  • an inventory map of sea turtle breeding sites,
  • identification of nesting and breeding habitats along the shoreline, and migratory routes taken by sea turtles,
  • development of guidelines to safeguard and minimize turtle mortality,
  • development of national and international cooperative and collaborative action for sea turtle conservation,
  • development of guideline plans for tourism in sea turtle areas, and
  • development of infrastructure and habitat.
• One of the significant achievements has been the demonstration of the use of Satellite Telemetry to locate the migratory route of Olive Ridley Turtles in the sea, as well as sensitising fishermen and the State Government to the use of Turtle Exclusion Devices (TED) in fishing trawlers to reduce turtle mortality in fishing nets.

Efforts To Protect Sea Turtles in India

• The Indian Constitution makes provision for the responsibility of animal conservation. There are also laws that protect biodiversity as a whole, such as the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Biodiversity Act of 2002. However, there are some projects in India that are specifically for sea turtles.
• Sea Turtle Project: The sea turtle project began in 1999 at the Indian Institute of Wildlife, Dehradun, with the collaboration of UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and India's Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
• This project establishes guidelines for development activities in the area, with the goal of securing turtle breeding areas and protecting them from other types of disruptions.
• National Sea Turtle Action Plan: It includes recommendations for promoting the inter-regional project and establishing coordination between the Central Government, State Governments, and Civil Society.
• The goal of this action plan is to increase collective participation and identify critical turtle conservation sites in the Indian subcontinent. It will identify all of the factors and activities that endanger sea turtles.
• Other efforts include
• The Government of Odisha initiated the sea turtle conservation scheme in Bhitarkanika Sanctuary in 1975.
• In 2002, an organization called Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra launched the Turtle Conservation Scheme, which releases some newborn turtles every year by hosting the Konkan Turtle Festival.

World Sea Turtle Day

• It is observed every year on June 16th, with the goal of saving this aquatic species from extinction. It emphasizes the importance of sea turtles in the marine ecosystem.
• Sea turtles are keystone species in the ocean. Their existence is vital to the environment and has an impact on other species.
• If these species are removed, the natural habitat will suffer, affecting other wildlife and fauna in a different way.
• It commemorates and coincides with the birthday of Dr. Archie Carr, the Father of Sea Turtle Biology and the founder of the Sea Turtle Conservancy.