There’s a life in those shells

It’s a wonderful feeling to go on turtle walks and see hope protected in the shells of these turtles.

Every year the Olive Ridley turtles make a difficult, long distance, trans-boundary migration from their resident feeding grounds to the nesting beaches to lay their eggs. But today mankind has taken over their nesting beaches, stolen their eggs, polluted and destroyed their habitats and relentlessly hunted them for their meat.

The destruction of oceans by trawling and over fishing in no fishing zones make these beautiful species suffer needlessly. It is terrible to see hundreds of turtle carcasses on the beach especially in Orissa. While the Government refuses to take action powerful corporate interests are moving into the zone. The Government has fabulous rules but zero infrastructures to enforce them.

The Dhamra port that has been built by the Tatas is one example of the capitalistic strive for profit, power and money which will cause massive decimation of the Olive Ridley’s. The port is built 5km from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and less than 15km from Gahirmatha’s beaches which is one of the mass nesting sites of the Olive Ridley turtles in the world.

The port has violated the Forest Conservation Act 1980. Conservationists highlighted the port’s potential environment impacts when it was first proposed in 1990s. There were alternatives which the Tatas should have explored. The Dhamra port will push the Olive Ridley turtles one step closer to extinction.

Officials in the Ministry of Environment Forests have been aware of the Forest Act violation for several years, yet they turned their back to the issue. The matter has been before the Central Empowered committee of the Supreme Court since September 2009. The Orissa government has showed its dirty face by changing its stand and now denies that the port is being built on protected forest land. Jairam Ramesh is silent, and yet to take a stand on the violation of the Forest Conservation Act by the Dhamra Port.

Against such a scenario do the Turtles have a chance to survive into the next millennium?

The answer is big conditional ‘YES’. We the people especially the youth has to pressurise the Indian government to take protective measures. Humans are pushing turtles to extinction, and humans can save and give them their rightful place on the earth as well.

Development is turning the world into a graveyard. We cannot let another Dhamra port to destroy our biodiversity.

Act now!! Raise your voice to save one of the most beautiful harmless endangered species of the world Olive Ridley turtles. It’s worth the effort!

R. Dona Aideau