World Turtle Day (23rd May) serves as a reminder of the numerous threats that turtles encounter, including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, predation of turtle hatchlings, and illegal wildlife trade. World Turtle Day is an opportunity to learn about different species of turtles, their ecological significance, and the steps to be taken to ensure their survival. It emphasises the importance of preserving their habitats, abating pollution (mostly plastic), and combating illegal trade to safeguard the future of these ancient and remarkable creatures.
More than 300 species of turtles exist on the planet. Several of them are endangered due to pollution, habitat destruction, and predation. These shelled reptilian species are found in diverse environments all around the world and play vital roles in their respective ecosystems. Turtles reside in the sea for a span of about 80 years, whereas tortoises are mainly land dwellers and can survive up to 300 years.
Marine litter poses a great threat to the turtle population, as turtles often mistake plastic bags and other debris as part of their diet in coastal waters, which leads to serious health problems or even death. Beach clean-up initiatives near the area of turtle nesting sites can help protect them from harmful pollution, including plastic resembling turtle feed.
Poaching is a significant threat to turtle populations, as their eggs, meat, and shells have commercial value. To combat this, anti-poaching efforts have been strengthened by deploying trained personnel. Turtle egg protection measures and the establishment of hatcheries have been suggested for the highly vulnerable turtle breeding sites, which are susceptible to disturbances, poaching, and predation.
On the occasion of World Turtle Day, on 23rd May, National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) organised various events and activities to educate people about the critical need for sea turtle conservation and their nesting sites. NCSCM partnered with the members of the sea turtle hatchery at Besant Nagar under the Tamil Nadu Forest Department on mass mobilisation of the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement with a spotlight to spread public awareness and educate coastal fishermen and the local community on the need for sea turtle conservation.
The NCSCM scientists sensitised the fishing community about not operating trawler boats for fishing near the turtle nesting sites to prevent entangling and injuring (e.g., clipping off flippers) turtles in the trawling nets and encouraged the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to exclude turtles from getting captured and the retrieval of ghost nets.
Tamil Nadu has a broad coastline along the Bay of Bengal, providing crucial nesting grounds for several species of sea turtles. Some of the sea turtle conservation efforts undertaken in Tamil Nadu, such as the establishment of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, regular monitoring of nesting beaches, etc., have contributed to the conservation of turtles and their habitats.
NCSCM conducted public awareness campaigns and educational programmes to engage local communities, fishermen, students, and tourists. These initiatives focused on highlighting the ecological importance of turtles, their conservation status, not indulging in using bright flashlights during the breeding season. In this campaign, the importance and need for sea turtle conservation were highlighted, for the prevention of baby turtles falling prey to birds and stray dogs. Participants took the LiFE pledge to safeguard the environment, avoid single-use plastics, practise responsible tourism, and conserve marine biodiversity.
