World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated on 16 June, every year to educate people on the need to conserve the world’s Sea turtles and their habitats.

The day is also a celebration of the joy & vibrance that the world’s oldest reptiles bring to Earth. However, due to indiscriminate human activities, the magnificent creatures now find their place in the IUCN Red List of critically endangered species.

Why are Sea turtles so important?

Sea turtles are the natural indicators of ocean health. Their role, in sustaining marine ecosystems is pivotal. Postulated as the “keystone species”, they are an indispensable part of the environment.

This means the natural order of the environment will be disrupted if they are endangered, thereby impacting other wildlife & fauna in different ways.

Role in marine ecosystem:

– Maintain an ecological balance of oceans by controlling prey population, the same way as leatherbacks help manage the population of the jellyfish in the ocean or how hawksbills help reefs by eating sponges that compete with them for space.

– Important source of coastal vegetation:
The eggs and hatchlings that don’t survive provide an important source of nutrient-rich coastal vegetation for the oceans.

– Hatchlings are an important source of food for many animals:
All the ocean fauna including fishes, mammals like raccoons and others rely on hatchlings to survive during the nesting season.
– They are important for coastal economies & native communities:

Many coastal areas rely on turtle watching or ocean diving for livelihood and a number of indigenous communities revere sea turtles as part of their cultures.

In addition, the species provide emotional & psychological benefits to people who enjoy seeing sea turtles in the wild.

– Green turtles grazing on seagrass is an important way to keep seagrass beds healthy. A healthy seagrass benefits not just marine species, but also store carbon.

Know about Sea Turtles:

Turtles are the world’s oldest reptiles with a shell that consists of bone as well as a keratinous layer, on top. There are about 310 species of turtles in the world, which can be classified into three major categories:

– tortoises,
– freshwater turtles or terrapins, &
– marine turtles.

While tortoise is usually land-dwelling turtles, terrapin refers to small turtles, living in fresh & brackish areas, spending considerable time both on land and in water. However, turtles are the species that spend most of their lives in water.
In simple terms, Sea turtles can be defined as reptiles with a shell, who have adapted to live in the oceans.

Sea turtles of India:

The turtles of India are one of the oldest reptile groups in existence, across the world found even before lizards and snakes.

Turtles are found in India, in the coastal states of Odisha, Chennai, and Maharashtra. The country is home to five exquisite varieties of turtles, namely:
– Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
– Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
– Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate)
– Leathery Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
– Eastern Mud turtle (Kinosternun subrubum subrubum)

India’s famous Green Sea turtles are the largest hard-shelled sea turtles are about 120 cms in length and 136-159 kgs in weight.

Threats faced by Sea Turtles:

1. Non-human predation: Turtle nests in India have been subjected to significantly heavy predation. It has been found in studies on the population dynamics of the Olive ridley turtle, conducted at the Gahirmatha rookery, that a large percentage of eggs laid during the nesting season are destroyed.

This is a result of nest destruction by wild animals like the wild pigs, jackals, and feral dogs or by beach erosion.
2. Incidental capture in fishing nets: Mechanized fishing near shore, within 5 km from the shoreline results in the death of large numbers of sea turtles along the Indian coast every year. These deaths are most likely a result of accidental capture in trawl nets.

3. Loss of nesting habitats due to human intrusion: Undertaking developmental activities such as the construction of roads, aquaculture projects, and the influx of tourist resorts result in the loss of nesting habitats.

Further, the plantation of Casuarina, close to major sea turtle nesting beaches results in a drastic drop in the nesting population, as it does not just reduce the space available for sea turtles to nest but also change the beach topography.

4. Artificial illumination: Sea turtles are highly sensitive to artificial bright light. Thus, major sea turtle nesting beaches that are subjected to bright illumination have witnessed heavy hatchling mortality, in recent years.

Govt’s initiative to save sea turtles:

Under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972), certain wildlife areas are marked as Community Reserve (CR) to preserve the natural habitats of sea turtles.

In addition, the Government of India launched Project Sea Turtle nationally, as India harbors 30-40 % of the world’s Olive ridley sea turtles. The government has further chalked out certain guidelines and a plan of action under the project to save India’s sea turtles.