Turtle Tales: Conservation Along India’s Coast

Along India’s extensive coastline, four turtle species find nesting refuge: leatherback, hawksbill, olive ridley, and green turtles. Muralidharan, who is the Marine Species Lead at WWF-India, told me that “Olive ridleys are generalists, nesting on sandy beaches all along our coast”. They nest either independently or in large groups, in a phenomenon known as “arribada”. An arribada is a breathtaking sight. It refers to the remarkable event where tens of thousands of female turtles gather on a single beach to lay their eggs within a few days. But what’s their secret? They prefer beaches near the mouth of a river, where seasonal floods naturally clean the beaches of organic build-up, ensuring the perfect nesting spots for future generations. This strategic choice is key to the thriving presence of these turtles along the Indian coast.

While the east coast, particularly Odisha, sees mass nesting, India’s west coast boasts numerous solitary nesting sites. “In 2024, Agonda beach, in Canacona district, South Goa, recorded a remarkable 181 nests. This figure is more than double the count of 68 nests in 2023,” reveals Rajesh Naik, DRO of the Forest Department, Canacona district. Agonda is one of only four beaches identified as a turtle nesting site under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2011 notification. According to Muralidharan, “CRZ guidelines outline rules for different coastal areas, which each state’s Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) and the Forest Department identify based on the presence of critical species. When a turtle nests on a beach, it can be categorised as a CRZ 1, once accepted by the CZMA and the MoEFCC. Once designated, it doesn’t need continuous notification. Removal from the 2019 CRZ notification isn’t a big issue. Sites heavily used by turtles are automatically CRZ 1.”

It’s interesting to note how the forest department tracks these nests and hatchlings in Agonda. They employ an ex-situ conservation approach (i.e., outside their natural habitats), relocating eggs to specially designed hatcheries for protection and monitoring. This strategy isn’t unique to Goa; in fact, across other states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and significant sites along the Chennai coast in Tamil Nadu, sea turtle eggs are placed in hatcheries.

Despite the immense task of protecting these nests and hatchlings, the hatcheries in India operate with just a handful of dedicated staff. As Muralidharan notes, sea turtle conservation in India leans heavily on ex-situ strategies. “It’s a good conservation measure if done right; if not managed properly, it can cause more harm than good.” He stresses that unless proper protocols for collecting, transporting, and incubating eggs, as well as holding and releasing hatchlings, are strictly followed, relocating clutches to hatcheries could result in reduced hatchling production, compromised fitness, or skewed sex ratios when compared to undisturbed clutches left in situ (in their original place). Indian hatcheries often grapple with limited resources. Most are run by the state forest department (61 per cent) and NGO/volunteer groups (22 per cent), while a few (17 per cent) are managed jointly. Turtle hatcheries have been around in India for between 2 and 28 years, and staff size typically ranges from 1-6 individuals. DRO Rajesh Naik emphasises the invaluable cooperation of fishermen and locals in locating turtle nests; their knowledge is pivotal in guiding conservation efforts as they promptly inform guards about egg locations, facilitating relocation.

Ajay, a forest guard from South Goa’s Marine Range (forest department range specially focused on marine conservation), describes his night shift routine: “On a normal night, two of us patrol Agonda beach (three-kilometres-long) three times — before, at, and after high tide — because that’s the time (we have observed) most turtles coming to nest. In between patrolling up and down the beach, we check pits in the hatchery that were nested and relocated over the previous 45-50 days, every half an hour to see if there are any hatchlings. If there are, we collect the hatchlings and put them in a bucket to release after half an hour. If they hatch during the day, we wait till dusk to release them to stay clear of predators. This season has been the busiest: 11 turtles in a night on two occasions; 9 turtles in a night on one occasion; 8 turtles in a night on one occasion; and 6 turtles in one night five times.”

Despite the demanding hours, Ajay recalls a touching moment that validates their efforts. “One February night, I spotted a turtle arriving at the north end of the beach, but instead of laying eggs, she lingered before returning to the water,” he recounts. “The following night, I noticed the same turtle tracks on the south side of the beach. As I approached, I recognised her by her size. Once again, she didn’t lay any eggs. After examining her closely, I noticed she was missing a hind flipper (used to dig nests). I dug a pit nearby, and she went ahead to nest there, unbothered by my presence.”

Day shifts aren’t as busy as the night patrols, thanks to a well-coordinated network involving lifeguards, waste collectors, fishermen, boat operators, and some beach shack workers that engage informally. This network, initially established to help marine animals stranded on Goa’s coastline, has evolved to support the forest department’s ex-situ conservation efforts. Ocean Watch in Goa is a prime example, showcasing collaborative conservation strategies for marine species. Partnering closely with the Goa Forest Department, this network monitors stranding incidents along the entire Goan coastline. Lifeguards from Drishti Marines Private Limited serve as frontline responders to stranding incidents. Puja Mitra, Founder and Director of ecotourism company, Terra Conscious, explains, “Through this initiative, we’ve uncovered nesting activities on beaches where they were previously unreported, like Baga and Calangute. Once reported, forest department personnel assist in monitoring and relocating eggs, with lifeguards overseeing the safeguarding process.”

However, challenges persist for ex-situ conservation, where the relocation of turtle eggs poses logistical hurdles. Indian hatcheries, grappling with limited resources and vast egg collections from multiple beaches, often exceed recommended relocation timelines. “Ex-situ conservation alone isn’t sufficient to protect the species,” emphasises Muralidharan. “While it raises public awareness and safeguards nests in vulnerable areas, such as flood-prone or highly trafficked regions, relying solely on hatcheries poses risks,” he adds. “In places like Goa, tourism exacerbates this issue. When all nests of a beach are relocated, tourists stop perceiving the entire beach as space used by turtles and only consider the hatchery as the turtle’s space, neglecting other nesting areas required for their conservation. This misconception erodes the idea of shared space as turtles frequent different beach sections at night, leaving no trace of their presence. Consequently, there’s less attention to cleanliness and reduced disturbance from lights and heavy noise, potentially degrading beach quality over time.” From October 2023 to April 2024, due to high turtle nesting activity across Goa’s coastline, some nests weren’t recorded or relocated. Nevertheless, according to some observers, baby turtles managed to hatch and make their way to the sea with little or no assistance.

Relocation of eggs (ex-situ conservation) offers valuable insights into nesting patterns, turtle behaviour, hatching rates, and even shifts in nesting seasons, hinting at changing weather and climatic patterns. However, its effectiveness hinges on adequate manpower for hatchery maintenance. While not everyone can handle hatchlings, given the protected status of olive ridleys under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, there are avenues for civil society organisations (CSOs) and trained volunteers to support the forest department. Furthermore, local fishing communities can be incentivised or compensated to assist in beach monitoring and egg collection, as seen in two hatcheries in Maharashtra. “What leads to sustainable community-led conservation at scale, is democratising the process, right from having platforms to engage, to awareness, accessibility, political will, opportunity and financial support”, adds Puja.

Ocean Watch in Goa is a standout example of effective marine conservation networking in India. “This is the only structured network in India with formal partners, providing 24/7, 365 days surveillance,” Puja emphasises. “No other state has deployed so many lifeguards; this is a pioneering project.” Such initiatives sensitise other regions to the importance of lifeguard deployment and bolster marine and wildlife conservation efforts along the coast. Ocean Watch’s efforts extend far beyond mere rescue missions, gathering crucial data about delay in nesting patterns of olive ridleys, human impact on survival, and even weather patterns. Through collaborative endeavours like these, the landscape of marine conservation in India is marked by innovation, dedication, and a hopeful future.