The Sea Turtle Conservation Agenda of India

B.C. Choudhury, S.C. Sharma, S.K. Mukherjee

 Abstract

This chapter reviews the status and history of conservation of marine turtles in India, which dates back to the early 1970's. In 1975, the Gahirmatha Olive ridley Rookery was provided legal protection, being designated part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Only in the late 1990's, sea turtle conservation activities moved beyond the coastal nesting beaches into areas of offshore breeding congregation. National and international concern over sea turtle mortality along the Indian coastline prompted the Indian Government to launch the "National Sea Turtle Conservation Project" in 1998. The project envisages activities encompassing both on-shore and offshore critical habitats for sea turtles. The strategy includes survey and documentation of critical nesting, breeding and feeding habitats and their protection; assessment of sea turtle and marine fishing interface problems and development of turtle friendly solutions; implementation of TED legislation and extension program; a cross-sectoral government agency, local community and NGO participation in sea turtle conservation programs; development of a national sea turtle conservation education and awareness program; support for sea turtle research and creation of a scientific database for management needs, and support for regional and international co-operation and collaboration for sea turtle conservation.

Introduction

Five of the seven species of sea turtles found world wide are reported to occur in Indian coastal waters and the Bay Islands (Kar & Bhaskar 1982). These are the Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta). Except for the Loggerhead, the remaining four species nest along the Indian coastline (Kar & Bhaskar 1982).

The Olive ridley is the most numerous among the sea turtles found in India and is well known for its arribadas, or annual mass nestings when thousands of turtles migrate to the breeding ground to nest simultaneously. Of the few such mass nesting beaches left in the world today where arribadas occur, India has three. A significant proportion of world's Olive ridley population migrate every winter to the Indian coastal waters to nest on these beaches in Orissa, as well as along other parts of Indian coast. The beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important nesting grounds for Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles. The coral reefs of Lakshadweep are important feeding grounds for Hawksbill sea turtle (see Table I).

Table I: Nesting sites for sea turtles in India.

All the five species of sea turtles that occur in Indian coastal waters are legally protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972), as well as listed in Appendix I of Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which prohibits trade in turtle products by signatory countries. At present there exists no commercial or international trade of marine turtles or turtle products in India.

Current Status and Problems

In spite of the legal protection given to all sea turtle species in India, in recent years the populations migrating to Indian waters are on the decline. Several thousand adult breeding individuals die every year along the Indian coastline, and have become a major concern of national and international community (Pandav et al. 1997, Pandav & Choudhury 1999). The repercussions of such large scale mortality of a globally migratory species group has had its reflection at the WTO, where India contested a ban that was imposed by the USA on the export of marine products caught with gear that did not address sea turtle mortality.

The small-scale research, conservation and management of sea turtles in India, which dates back to the mid 1970's, culminated in the mid 1980's with the active participation of the Indian Coast Guard and Navy in sea turtle protection. However, sea turtles, which spend almost six months each year along the Indian coastline, face a multitude of problems in need of address. The major problems that sea turtles face in Indian coastline include:

1. Incidental capture in fishing nets: Near-shore mechanised fishing within 5 km from the shoreline results in the mortality of large numbers of sea turtles along the Indian coast every year. More than 5,000 dead Olive ridley sea turtles were counted along 480 km of the Orissa coast during a six month survey in 1994 (Pandav et al. 1994). The ongoing research programme of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) documents a three-fold increase in this number during 1997-98 along the same stretch. These deaths were due to accidental capture in trawl nets, although details of the incidental capture of marine turtles in fishing nets along rest part of Indian coast are yet to be documented.
2. Loss of nesting habitats: Development activities close to the coast such as construction of roads, tourist resorts and aquaculture projects result in the loss of nesting habitats. Besides this, plantations of Casuarina close to some of the major sea turtle nesting beaches has resulted in a drastic decline of the nesting population. The plantations reduce the space available for sea turtles to nest, and once the Casuarina grows it changes the beach topography with its lifter deposition and root growth, rendering the beach unsuitable for turtles nesting (Pandav et al. 1994). Further, legislation which is supposed to protect nesting sites of turtles and other marine life does not include sites presently and historically known as breeding grounds. There are no legal guidelines for discussion among concerned authorities and local villagers to develop a more suitable non- forested coastal area protection program.
3. Non-human predation: A significant proportion of nests are subjected to heavy predation. Studies on the population dynamics of the Olive ridley at Gahirmatha rookery, along northern Orissa coast, have indicated that a large percentage of eggs laid during each nesting season are destroyed (Dash & Kar 1990). This results from destruction of nests by other females during an arribada, nest destruction by wild pigs, jackals, and feral dogs, and by beach erosion (Pandav et al. 1994). Feral dogs and wild pigs cause considerable damage to the nests of Leatherback, Green and Hawksbill turtles in Andaman (Bhaskar 1993).
4. Artificial illumination: Many of the major sea turtle nesting beaches are now subjected to bright illumination. Artificial illumination from development activities near nesting beaches has resulted in disorienting adult nesting sea turtles as well as hatchlings, leading to heavy hatchling mortality (Pandav et al 1998).

The conservation agenda of Project Sea Turtle, Government of India

The 7,100 km coastline of India, with its high human population density and their utilisation of the diverse marine and coastal resources makes it difficult to develop a conservation management strategy for sea turtles. However, in light of the fact that the Indian coastal environment harbours almost 30-40 % of world's Olive ridley sea turtle population, the Government of India has launched PROJECT SEA TURTLE at a national level. The main objectives of the project are to:

1. Prepare an inventory map of breeding sites, both verified and others to be surveyed along the Indian coasts. These areas would be placed under CRZ-I categories, accordingly in State and UT Government's CRZ plans and maps.
2. Identify areas along the coast, both on landward side and seaward side, to be protected and managed as the nesting and breeding habitats along the shore line.
3. To establish guidelines for developing infrastructure facilities, so as to safeguard and minimise the large scale mortality of breeding sea turtles both on- and off-shore.
4. Identify the migratory routes taken by sea turtles in Indian territorial waters and beyond (if necessary with other organisations active in this field). Annual migration charts are to be developed and sent each year to all coastal management authorities and other agencies involved in coastal resource use.
5. Network and develop national and international inter-agency co-operative and collaborative action for sea turtle conservation.
6. Develop infrastructure and human resources for sea turtle conservation that will also take care of other coastal biodiversity.
7. Prioritise areas, agencies and action (both short-term and long-term) for a sustained sea turtle conservation program.
8. Carry out extensive and exhaustive 5-year surveys of the coastal area at the appropriate nesting times to verify potential sites of turtle breeding.
9. Develop guidelines for tourism in sea turtle areas, indicating the permissible and prohibited activities (most of these can be given legal protection from existing laws and regulations).

To meet the project objectives the following strategy is planned to be adopted.

1. To train and dedicate staff of the wildlife wing of nine coastal States and the Bay Islands to take up a survey and demarcation of nesting beaches within their geographic locality, which could be carried out by the WII in association with select agencies. Thereafter, protection and monitoring of the nesting beaches could be taken by individual State wildlife wings with technical support from an expert group. Based on this a system of annual population monitoring and analysis plans would be developed. Research centres to study breeding, feeding and migration biology of these species could be initiated. Migration routes of the turtles would be charted and monitored in a systematic manner so that future management strategies evolve through them but based on them.
2. To enhance effective off-shore patrols and protection of sea turtles through (a) wildlife wings of coastal States and Bay islands, (b) State maritime fisheries departments and (c) Indian Coast Guard, by providing them with adequate infrastructure. For this purpose the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is to organise a consultative meeting to assess requirements.
3. To enforce the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawl nets to minimise fishery-related sea turtle mortality. The Ministry of Environment and Fisheries MoEF, Commerce and Agriculture ministries will develop an advertisement and extension programme for TED demonstration and subsidised supply of TEDs to trawl operators.
4. To initiate and upgrade sea turtle research and monitoring and develop a suitable database, the MoEF will liase with the Department of Ocean Development, University Grants Commission and Commerce Ministry to support agencies such as the WII, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and coastal Universities, to set-up a suitable research programs. Additionally, the MoEF will also prioritise management-related research topics in consultation with WII, CMFRI, NIO, wildlife wings of coastal States and Islands and select universities.
5.  To develop a national sea turtle conservation education and awareness campaign. In consultation with Centre for Environmental Education (CEE), WII and select media group, a national level long-term sea turtle conservation education awareness campaign will be developed. Local NGO's will be encouraged to initiate action on this issue.
6. Revive and strengthen the Indian sea turtle expert group for technical advice and evaluation of projects.
7. Develop a participatory nesting beach protection and management programme with people participation, and where benefits will reach the local people. A suggested protocol for this is to bring adjoining villages together and create a Turtle Protection and Village Development fund through development of a seasonal eco-tourism activity. Benefits of such tourism should go directly to the human residents of these sites where planned tourism is involved.
8. Collaborate with Regional and International Agencies in developing sea turtle Conservation programs. The MoEF plans to initiate dialogue with organisations such as the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) and ASEAN for developing a crosssectoral and integrated Coastal Resource management program, where sea turtles feature in a significant manner.

Acknowledgements

Bivash Pandav and Pratibha Pandey are acknowledged for reviewing the manuscript and V. Rajkumar for providing secretarial assistance.

 References

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Kar, CS. & S. Bhaskar, 1982. The status of Sea turtles in the eastern Indian Ocean. In The Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (K. Bjorndal, ed.) Smithsonian Press, Washington DC: 365-372.

Pandav, B., B.C. Choudhury & CS. Kar, 1994. Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) and its nesting habitats along the Orissa coast, India - A status Survey. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, July 1994.

Pandav, B., B.C. Choudhury & CS. Kar, 1997. Mortality of Olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) due to incidental capture in fishing nets along the Orissa coast, India. Oryx 3 1(1): 32-36.

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