Till about recently, the season from September to March would find the members of the Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum an excited lot. They would be preparing to closely survey the Thottappally coastline during nights for Olive Ridley turtles that would come onto the beach to lay eggs.
But now, as the season approaches, they are a bit worried. Despite being one of the prime locations for Olive Ridleys in the State, the Thottappally coast, especially areas close to the mineral sand-mining sites, has been witnessing fewer turtle landings in recent times.
According to the forum members, the egg-laying turtles used to nest along a stretch of around 800 metres north and south of Thottappally pozhi (sandbar at sea mouth). But of late, there are signs of them skipping the area between Thottappally harbour and pozhi.
In the 2021-22 season, the members of the forum stumbled up on 13 clutches with a total of 1,100 eggs, all of them on Pallana beach near Thottappally. “It is not unusual for Olive Ridleys to nest south of pozhi on Pallana beach. But what is more startling is that not a single nest was found on the northern side between the harbour and the pozhi in the last season. Prior to it, on an average, we used to record four nests from this part of the coast every season. There are clear indications of them moving their nesting area to the south. Of the total 13 nests found south of the pozhi, 12 were recorded from a 150-metre stretch,” says Saji Jayamohan, secretary, Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum.
The Olive Ridley turtles are legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They prefer a disturbance-free ambience for laying eggs. According to Jafer Palot, scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, mining poses a major threat to the nesting of Olive Ridley turtles.
“Olive Ridleys are known to have a special bonding with the place of their birth. Mining results in temperature variations and causes the entire ecology to change. It will definitely impact the breeding of the turtles. Most disgusting is the lackadaisical attitude on the part of the Forest department in conservation efforts,” Mr. Palot observes.
While reasons ranging from human interference to stray dog menace have been cited for Olive Ridleys partially abandoning the Thotappally coast, local residents, involved in the conservation, say that there are hardly any favourable conditions for the turtles to nest at Thottappally, as the place is witnessing a hive of activity due to the ongoing mineral sand-mining.
“When I joined the conservation efforts in 2013, it was about raising awareness among people against stealing and eating the eggs. In 2017, cyclone Ockhi damaged the natural habitat of the turtles. When things were returning to normal, the government opened a new mining site at the pozhi. The mining activities at the harbour and the pozhi are spelling doom for the ecology of the area and have evolved as the biggest threat to the nesting of turtles,” Mr. Jayamohan says.
The forum members say that the mining activities have resulted in severe coastal erosion and caused the coastline to shrink. “If things go on like this, it won’t be long before the turtles totally abandon the coast. The shore from Thottappally to Pallana, considered a natural nesting habitat of Olive Ridleys, is fast disappearing. In many places, the width has been reduced from 45 metres to 30 metres,” says Sajith, a local resident and member of the conservation group.
