Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Workshop on marine turtles

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A State-level workshop on ‘Marine Turtle Conservation,’ a first step to bring together people who have experience in dealing with the marine creatures and work out strategies to protect them, is to be held in the capital on Tuesday.

The workshop is being organised jointly by the World Wide Fund for Nature-India and the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department with support of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Marine turtles are reported from the coast of Orissa and Kerala. But many are endangered and facing near extinction because of illegal human activities like collection of eggs for consumption, killing and consumption of its meat, encroachment on the nesting sites, and destruction of its eggs by the predators.

A release issued by the WWF-India said different local groups in the State had come forward to help the turtles in this regard through protection of the nesting beaches, collection of eggs and hatching in nurseries and release of young ones back into the sea. Still a lot needed to be done as the turtles, including the Olive Ridley which is included under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, are being killed.

Minister for Forests Benoy Viswom is to inaugurate the workshop at 10 a.m. at Hotel Pankaj.

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