WORLD TURTLE DAY 2016 On the occasion of World Turtle Day 2016, Action for Protection of Wild Animals (APOWA) has been organised various programmes in different places of Odisha state, India on 23rd May 2016. We are trying to spread the awareness on protection of turtles on this awesome day with involving as many as people and institutions including community members, school students, teachers, community based organisations, forest and wildlife dept. along Odisha sha coast. World Turtle Day at Gahirmatha (World s World s largest rookery) Region: APOWA in collaboration with Mangrove Forest Division (Wildlife), Rajnagar and Gahirmatha Wildlife Range, Rajnagar, organised an awareness programme on turtle conservation at Sapaneswar High School, Barahpur near Gahirmatha marine sanctuary. Around 152 school students, 24 teachers, 2 local NGO representatives, 26 forest personnel from Kanika, Rajnagar, Gahirmatha range, range media persons were participated in this programme. A meeting was conducted on this occasion with participation of the following resource persons including Mr Pradosh Kumar Pattnaik, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Mangrove Forest Division (Wildlife), G. Anadkumar, Anadkumar ACF, Paradeep range, Mr Subrat Ku Patra, Forest Range officer, Gahirmatha wildlife range, Mr School Students participate in awareness meeting Harekrushna Mallik, Forest Range officer, Rajnagar range, Mr Gopinatha Tripathy, District coordinator, Eco clubs, Mr Manoj Satapathy, Eco teacher teacher, USAK, Mr Hemant Rout, head master, Sapaneswar High School, Mr Bijaya Kumar Kabi, Director, APOWA, Mr Ramaranjan Mallik, ChaleChalo. All the participants including forest personnel take a pledge to protect turtles and students participants were take promising to motivate their family members about conservation of turtles. The event was distributed with caps, stickers, and leaflet on turtles to all the participants. In the morning session, essay and art competitions competi were conducted with participation of 38 and 30 students respectively from 4 different schools. Total 12 prizes were distributed to top three successful students both junior and senior level. Mr Bijaya Kabi, APOWA addressing to participants School students are participating in art competition on why turtles are important to our ocean on the occasion of World Turtle Day
In the afternoon session, students have a chance to create fun on turtle sand art at Pentha beach. This was an attractive and awareness generation for conservation of turtles. Participants are busy in Sand art at Pentha beach, Odisha World Turtle Day in Devi Region In Devi mouth sea turtle rookery area, we have been organised this event in collaboration with our partner a community based organisation, Sea Turtle Action Programme (STAP). Around 86 local people, people forest personnel from Puri Wildlife Division, Division media personnel, Pirjahania forest Protection Committee members were participated in awareness programme in Pirjahania beach under Devi mouth sea turtle rookery. Prizes were distributed to successful students on essay competition Sand Art on turtles displaying for visitors and local people at Pirjahania beach, Devi mouth region Spread the Turtle Conservation through Media We have been promoting the local media both print and electronic media to highlight the turtle issues. We would like to thanks Odisha Express, a daily odia newspaper dedicated dedicate one page for turtles on the occasion
of World Turtle Day, 23 rd May, 2016 and reach to wider audiences throughout the state. An article of Mr Bijaya Kumar Kabi, Director, APOWA on turtle conservation was placed in that page. Publication- The Odisha Express (an odia daily newspaper), Date-23 rd May, 2016, Place- Bhubaneswar
Publication- The Samaj (an odia daily newspaper), Date-23 rd May, 2016, Place- Cuttack Many Challenges for Olive Ridleys in Odisha Coast Although Odisha coast is considered worlds largest nesting places for Olive ridleys, but unfortunately they are facing multifarious problem while they are in coastal waters and beaches in Odisha. The challenges are Nesting Ground Turning to Graveyard The destructive fishing practices are continued threaten for sea turtles in Odisha coast. The mortality of turtles increases due to non use of TED (Turtle Excluder Device) by fishermen. Every nesting season, from November to May, the carcasses of Olive Ridleys scattered along the nesting sites of Odisha. The following is the last 5 years statistics of sea turtle mortality. Decreasing in Nesting Numbers There has been a noticeable drop in the number of nests this year (51,835, Year No of Mortality 2010-11 807 2011-12 1047 2012-13 3167 2013-14 5000 2014-15 4000 Source: The Sambad (a daily odia newspaper) eggs laid) compared to (4,133,334 turtles laid eggs) last year in Gahirmatha sea turtle rookery. There is no mass nesting this year in Rushikullya sea turtle rookery (2 nd largest nesting ground), Odisha coast. It is noted that, last year in 2015, over 2.01 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles had laid eggs in the rookery from March 10 to 15.
Climate Change Impacts and High Degree of Beach Erosion When annual nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles, which had started in 1974 in Nasi-2 Island under Gahirmatha its coast line was spread over an area of 15 km 700 m, but due to various tidal change, climate change, tracking water system and rise in sea level in Bay of Bengal it has shrunk to 22 hectares. Many turtles are laying eggs on the same pits dug by other turtles and in this process thousands of turtle eggs are being destroyed by turtles themselves due to space crunch. Premature Death due to Pollution The pollution level increases in Odisha coast due functioning of number of ports and beach debris especially plastic wastes make unsuitable for turtles to nests and also another causes of premature death of many turtles. Way Forward Still there are so many un-noticed non-protected sporadic nesting beaches in Odisha, where there is a need but no one else is working. So, we plan to strengthen our activities in existing areas and extend our work to new areas along Odisha coast. Olive ridley sea turtle is one of the endangered & ecological importance species in the world, and it is considered a conservation priority. For the turtles, Bijaya Kumar Kabi Director, APOWA Action for Protection of Wild Animals At-Hatapatana, PO-Kadaliban,Dist.-Kendrpara Odisha, India, Mob-9437439946 E-mail mail@apowa.org, www.apowa.org Art Work by School Students