Utmost care needed in planning turtle trails
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement to develop turtle trails in three states—Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala—is exciting for more reasons than one. About five sea turtle species are found in India, but just one—the olive ridley or Lepidochelys olivacea—has chosen the country’s coasts as its biggest rookery. The spectacle of thousands of female turtles dawdling ashore in waves at the crack of dawn to lay eggs, cover it up under the moist sand and then return to the sea is not just heart-melting, it’s nature’s wonder unfolding in a poetic motion.
In a country fortunate enough to witness the magnificent natural phenomenon of mass nesting, turtle tourism certainly has the potential to be a niche segment attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. States can tap into it for revenue and employment, but integrating coastal communities would go a long way to further the cause. In Odisha, fishers are forced to sacrifice their livelihood as a six-month fishing ban along the coast comes into effect every November to protect the endangered species.
Sitharaman’s announcement quietly emphasises conservation. Olive ridleys nest across India’s eastern, southern and western coasts, but Odisha remains the world’s largest rookery. Last year, two of the eastern state’s nesting grounds logged a record 1.49 million arrivals. In such a scenario, turtle trails would surely bring in tourists, but regulated tourism has to be the way. Olive ridleys travel thousands of miles across the oceans and are known to be extremely sensitive to environmental change as well as human activity. That’s why the infrastructure must be non-invasive, the carbon footprint low and plastic pollution nil for the projects to survive. Disturbance caused by excessive tourism can prove counterproductive.
Devising a carrying capacity, therefore, would be a challenge. The states must factor in the impact of climate change while planning the projects. Gahirmatha and Rushikulya, two key nesting grounds in Odisha, have among the most erosion-prone coastlines. Given its proximity to a defence establishment, Gahirmatha is also a no-go area for tourists. With limited choices at hand, the states must design projects with utmost care. For, without turtles, the trails would be meaningless.