Corporate initiative to explore migratory behavior of Olive turtles off Odisha coast

Bhubaneswar, Sep 2 (UNI) The Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited and Adani Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the Adani Group, has decided to conduct study on spatial use, near-shore Movements and migratory behavior of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles off the Odisha Coast.

The findings of the study will be instrumental in developing effective management strategies to mitigate the effects of erosion on the critical nesting habitats of the Olive Ridley turtles.

It is pertinent to note here that Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach off Bay of Bengal coast is widely regarded as World’s largest-known nesting ground of these delicate aquatic animals.
Apart from Gahirmatha, these threatened aquatic animals turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting.

The study will be a Public Private Partnership Scheme with Society of Wildlife Odisha of Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife) and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun (WII), said Adana foundation officials today.

The main purpose is to focus on solving some of the challenges faced in critical areas for conservation of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in India primarily due to it hosting the largest nesting congregation of this species.
This coastline is notable for containing three major mass nesting sites: Gahirmatha, Devi, and Rushikulya. Among these, the Gahirmatha rookery is recognized as the largest sea turtle rookery globally, underscoring its vital role in the conservation of Olive Ridleyturtles at an international level.

Over the past three decades, the Gahirmatha mass nesting beach has experienced substantial alterations due to cyclones and coastal erosion, leading to changes in the nesting patterns of Olive Ridley turtles.
The principal focus will be to solve some of the challenges faced in critical areas for conservation
of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in Gahirmatha, Odisha, India. This collaboration will foster research
and recently updated study on critical areas for conservation of Olive Ridley Turtle.
A comprehensive study is the need of the hour to investigate the changes in coastal geomorphology along the Gahirmatha coast in Odisha, added the Adani foundation officials.
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