Sea turtles are truly global “citizens”, knowing no borders or boundaries. These turtles were one of the earliest inhabitants of our Earth around 100 million years ago since the era of the dinosaurs. There were 2000+ turtle species once upon a time and now only seven turtle species are left. Olive Ridley Turtle species are the most common sea turtles but are now placed under IUCN’s category (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) of being vulnerable and at risk of extinction.
These turtles are called scavengers of the ocean; fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds. Sea turtles are an important part of the planet’s food web and play a vital role in maintaining the health of the world’s oceans. The turtle eggs and meats were poached by local folks for higher prices in the market. And the tiny turtles fall prey easily to eagles, vultures, stray dogs, jackals, sea birds, and other sea creatures.
A tiny fishing hamlet Velas in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra under the guidance of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra – NGO and state forest department has taken constructive efforts to conserve the Olive Ridley Turtles. Spending a long weekend in this Velas hamlet was unique experiential learning for me. Joining with Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra team members, I experienced the vigilant patrolling techniques along the beach to ensure the mother turtles lay the eggs in a favorable natural environment, safeguarding the eggs with close monitoring and scientific data, retrieving and relocating eggs from vulnerable nests, releasing the hatchlings in the beach close to the waters when the temperature is perfect and ensure the baby turtles peddle to the sea with their tiny paddles. Inspiring night lectures, documentaries, and meaningful conversations with NGO team members about global warming and ocean pollution was an eye-opener for me to understand the importance of complex marine ecosystems.
Though the beaches of Velas and nearby places have enough potential for water sports and tourist attractions, the fishermen folks decided to take up the conservation project strictly saying no to any of the commercial tourist operations. The entire hamlet now focuses on conserving the Olive Ridley Turtles along with adjoining mangrove forest and made home stays as their alternative livelihood for nature enthusiasts and marine researchers. They host people at their homes offering them unique Konkan hospitality along with the glimpses of Olive Ridley Conservation Project.
What inspired me here is the eco-friendly model of sustainable development, where villagers are both stakeholders and beneficiaries. Behind all these, there were sustained efforts of NGO Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM), support from the forest department, the government of Maharashtra, technical expertise from Mangrove Foundation, Wild Life Institute - Dehradun, and financial support and voluntary assistance from Tata Trusts and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – Germany.
It was a worth riding experience for me along the western coast and western ghat from Aamchi Mumbai to Velas for experiencing the tiny and mighty turtles braving to the sea. Take a walk in the Velas beach and discover an amazing coastal ecosystem and coastal biodiversity.
