Over last four years the sharp shrinkage of the world’s largest rookery of Olive Ridleys sea turtles, has made the wildlife lovers and environmentalists a cloud of anxiousness and uncertainty over the prospects of nesting of these innocent species this time.
Significantly these endangered marine species, accorded threatened status like tiger as per schedule-I of Indian Wildlife(Protection)Act,1972 (amended 1991) and the sea turtles are protected under the ‘migratory species convention’ and CITES(convention of International Trade on Wildlife Flora and Fauna), had moved quickly to their annual sojourn in order to lay eggs on the sandy beach at Gahirmatha, said official sources .
However, the peaceful environment of the sandy beach considered to be the most favourite and congenial place for “Arribada”(a Spanish term for mass nesting phenomenon), which was undergoing rapid topographical changes over last some years. And the beach has become a matter of worry for the conservationists and as well as the environmentalists raising a fear that the turtles may get distracted by the broken nesting sites, said Kishore Swain ,a wildlife lover and environmentalist.
Official sources said that once the 15 km stretched beach, one of the largest nesting ground in the world on the east coast of Bay of Bengal , has been reduced to more than half of its earlier shape following massive sea erosion.
According to the Rajnagar Mangrove Forest division official sources, the rookery which is situated at Gahirmatha beach mostly parts of Nasi-I, Nasi-II, Ekakulanasi and Babubali isles plays a favourite nesting place to marine species.
The nesting grounds mainly at Nasi-I and Nasi-II have shrunk most of its parts. Nasi –I is now reduced to 2.1 km long. But the fact of worry is that it is divided into at least three short parts, over the last four years, said Swain.
Apart from the sea erosion, the violent tidal waves caused breaches, changing the geographical character of the scenic island and affecting the space of turtle habitat. On the other hand, the Nasi –I island , which is stretched 3km , is less affected by the sea erosion . More than the parts of the Nasi –II has got stretched out almost touching Babubali island, said forest official sources.
