Olive Ridley Turtle Conservation - The Need of the Hour

By Akhil R

The Olive Ridley turtle (L. olivacea) is considered the most abundant sea turtle in the world, with an estimated 800,000 nesting females annually. A major nesting ground for these turtles in India is found in the state of Orissa. Orissa is home to three mass nesting sites of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, namely Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapada district, Devi river mouth in Puri district and the Rushikulya beach with the Gahirmatha being one of the largest mass nesting sites in the world.

The olive ridley has one of the most extraordinary nesting habits in the natural world. Large groups of turtles gather off shore of nesting beaches. Then, all at once, vast numbers of turtles come ashore and nest in what is known as an "arribada". During these arribadas, hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs.

The olive ridley is listed as endangered species by the IUCN. Degradation of nesting beaches, ongoing directed harvest, and bycatch in fisheries have all contributed to the decline of the species. Over the past five years at Gahirmatha, there has been an arribada nesting event in only two of those five years, indicative of a declining population.

The alarming decline in the turtle populations has sparked off many conservation efforts but conservationists point out that a lot more regulation is required to prevent rampant poaching of the ridleys. Let us pledge our support to the environmental support groups working for the olive ridley conservation and take a positive step forward in protecting our marine eco system.

For more information visit: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/oliveridley.htm
Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network: http://www.sstcn.org/

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