The Hindu : National : Community reserves to protect Olive Ridleys

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Sunday, Nov 07, 2004

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National

Community reserves to protect Olive Ridleys

By Anil Sastry

PANAJI, NOV. 6. The Goa Forest Department will acquire about 16 hectares of land adjacent to two prominent beaches, Galgibag and Morjim, to provide safe nesting areas to the Olive Ridleys.

Also, the department is planning to set up an interpretation centre at Morjim beach in north Goa to give detailed information about the lifecycle of the sea turtles. The increased human intervention, particularly in Goa, a popular tourist destination, has affected the nesting activity of the Olive Ridleys over the years.Another beach, Agonda in south Goa, which is also visited by the turtles regularly, has however, not been included in the acquisition plan.

The Chief Conservator of Forests, Devendra Pande, told The Hindu that the acquired land would be declared not as sanctuaries but as "Community Reserves," where the help of the local population would be taken to conserve the rare species. The areas would be demarcated and human/animal movement prohibited during the nesting season, October-May. Animals require total privacy during reproduction, Dr. Pande said, and turtles were no exception.

The nesting should have taken place by now, but the continuing rainfall may have discouraged the turtles from climbing ashore. Ridleys prefer a warm climate to lay eggs.

Dr. Pande said that 14 hectares would be acquired at Galgibag, as the nesting area was vast, and two hectares at Morjim. And Galgibag is less frequented by tourists. There has been an increased human movement on the Morjim beach after the commissioning of the Siolim Bridge across the Chapora last year.

The Tourism Department has given licence to open five shacks (temporary shops) on the beach. Dr. Pande said the Forest Department was coordinating with the tourism in this regard.The Tourism Department will undertake a campaign through village panchayats and schools to create awareness of the importance of turtles. There has been a decline in the number of nests at all the three places during 2003-04 compared to the previous year. This could be attributed to the disturbances along the beaches and to excessive tourist activities such as the setting up of shacks, lighting along the beaches and loud music. The unfavourable weather, the direction and velocity of the wind and water currents could also be reasons for the declining trends of nesting.

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