Question

Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) started Marine turtle conservation first time in Maharashtra. In the year 2002, SNM started actual protection work for Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Velas, a tiny village on the northernmost boundary of district Ratnagiri. In the first year, SNM undertook protection work in one village and successfully protected 50 nests. Within a short time, SNM spread the protection work to the entire coast of Maharashtra state, that's about 720 km of coastline in all. In the fourth year of the project, we arranged protection work in 15 villages but found only 36 nests against 50 in a village. These figures themselves can prove that the marine turtle is crossing the upper limits of its presently endangered status very rapidly...

SNM is trying its level best to overcome this problem with its limited resources and successfully released a total of 7,610 hatchlings within four years.


Of the five species of marine turtle occurring on the Indian coast, except Loggerhead sea turtle all the other four are seen on the coast of Maharashtra. The Olive Ridley nests occur sporadically on the entire coast followed by the Green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Breeding of the Hawksbill and Leatherback is not reported on the coast. The major threat to the marine turtles on Maharashtra's coast is from poaching of eggs and adults, incidental catch in fishing nets, and developmental activities along the coast.


In February 2001, SNM found evidence of nesting in large numbers and unfortunately also of poaching of eggs at Velas. Velas is a small village located on the banks of river Savitri and is at the northernmost end of Ratnagiri district. At that time we found 35 nests of sea turtles, but unfortunately, all were predated by Jackals (Canis aureus). While enquiring about it in the village, we realized that, during breeding, season locals were prevented to go to the beach because of smuggling activity, the reason why they could not poach the turtle's eggs whereas Jackals predated all the nests on the beach. Egg poaching is the traditional practice of locals on the entire coast of the state. Marine turtle population also suffers from harvesting of turtles, high mortality due to trawlers, habitat destruction, and many other problems on the coast.


To overcome these problems SNM decided to undertake actual protection work and on 02 October 2002 started marine turtle conservation work, for the first time in Maharashtra.

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Answer 1

Answer:

Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) started Marine turtle conservation first time in Maharashtra. In the year 2002 SNM started actual protection work for Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Velas, a tiny village on northernmost boundary of district Ratnagiri.