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
