Five of the seven species of marine turtle found in the world exist in the waters of South Asia. All are on the IUCN Red List: the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) are both categorized as Critically Endangered; the Green (Chelonia mydas), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) are listed as Endangered.
These herbivorous creatures are fascinating to watch. Green turtles visit the oceanic beaches for laying eggs and later live in the convergence zones of the open ocean. Adult females travel all the way to the nesting beaches during the breeding season. When baby turtles are born, the hatchlings swim to offshore areas, where they are believed to live for several years, feeding on a variety of pelagic plants and animals.
They are called green because of the green colored sea grasses and algae they consume. Humans have largely contributed to making these species extinct and endangered. Pollution in the sea waters has resulted in tumors in green turtles causing deaths even before they reach the egg-laying stage. Destruction of their natural habitat, wrong management practices, fishing activity and illegal hunting are now major threats to the green turtle's life.
Debris on seashores such as plastic bags, glass bottles and oil and tar on beaches can suffocate, even poison and kill the green turtles. Each year over up to 10,000 green turtles are killed on the Indonesian island of Bali for religious and cultural reasons (Halim et al. 2001). In Bali and surrounding waters the green turtle is almost extinct. According to the Marine Turtle newsletter 2003, "In Orissa, India, the incidental mortality in trawl nets has increased from a few hundred each year in the 1980s to 15,000 each year since 1999 (Pandav 2000; B. Mohanty pers. comm.). In this age of lights and technology, nature is the worst affected. Little baby turtles are not used to dazzling lights as they are born on a quiet dark winter night. Lights from light houses, car beams, roads and buildings disorient the hatchlings from the safety of the nest and they wander away from the sea, falling prey to predators or to sun heat.
To conserve the endangered species and to raise awareness and address the damage caused by the 2004 Tsunami, 2006 was designated as the Year of the Turtle in Thailand. In India, many NGOs have been inspired to safeguard the creatures for better ecology. According to WWF India, one primary reason for high turtle mortality is unauthorized fishing within 5 kms from the coastline where turtles congregate and reproduce. No trawlers are allowed to fish in shallow coastal waters up to 5 kms in India. However, traditional fishing is allowed. About 90,000 turtles were killed during the last nine years there, with some 15,000 turtles killed annually. Some legal restriction was placed to protect sea turtles. In 1998 Orissa High Court Order stated that ‘only' up to 50 trawlers and 300 country boats should be allowed per day into the sea during the nesting season. Green turtles are very unsocial beings. Isolation, darkness and privacy is their psychological need. If they are dealt with care and affection, we hope these giant creatures will survive without the fear of extinction.
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