Environment and Ecology
Olive Ridley turtle
▪ A 16-year-long study (2008-2024) on India’s turtle populations, led by Dakshin Foundation, IISc Bengaluru, and State Forest Departments, finds that Olive Ridley turtles are stable or growing.
▪ other species of sea turtles found in the Indian territory – the leatherback turtles of the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Green Turtles of the Lakshadweep islands
▪ Operation Olivia: Indian Coast Guard initiative (since the 1980s) to protect nesting turtles and prevent illegal trawling.
▪ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1
▪ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Mass Nesting (Arribada)
▪ Gahirmatha and Rushikulya (Odisha) are among the largest nesting sites globally.
▪ Other nesting spots in India – Gahirmatha beach, and Devi river mouth in Odisha , the Andaman Islands and Tamil Nadu’s beaches
