Meet the people powering Kerala’s marine turtle conservation

Discover how Kerala's fisherfolk and conservation groups are protecting Olive Ridley turtles through community-led efforts and awareness initiatives.

The fisherfolk of Thaikkadappuram beach in Nileshwaram, located in Kerala’s Kasaragod district, play with Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings before releasing them into the sea. They treat the hatchlings with affection and are fully aware of the ecological importance of these turtles. Active participants in the region’s turtle conservation efforts, these fisherfolk have helped save numerous eggs. 

Neithal, an organisation that has been working towards the conservation of Olive Ridleys for the past 25 years at Thaikkadappuram, has succeeded in creating awareness among the coastal population on the need to protect these turtle eggs. Sudheer Kumar PV, a biology teacher and the co-founder and secretary of Neithal, says people are quick to inform volunteers if they spot turtles or eggs. Most of them stand guard until the volunteers reach the spot. Over the years, Neithal has successfully protected, hatched and released over 35,000 Olive Ridley hatchlings. Through camps for children and the public, they brought about an awareness on marine turtles in the region and the need for protecting them.  

Along Kerala’s 590 kilometre fragile coastline, Olive Ridley turtles nest sporadically at select stretches, between November and March, considered its nesting season. This year, their numbers have declined, with Chavakkad in Thrissur reporting the highest count – 40 turtles that have laid approximately 4,300 eggs. “Thottappally near Alappuzha, Chavakkad near Guruvayur, Kolavipalam in Kozhikode, and Nileshwaram in Kasaragod are nesting sites. As of now, the marine turtle nesting capital of Kerala is Chavakkad, including Edakazhiyoor, Puthenkadapuram, Blangad,” says Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director of WWF-India (WorldWide Fund for Nature). 

Olive Ridley turtle eggs relocated by volunteers at Kolavippalam, Kozhikode | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Volunteer groups have been working tirelessly to protect these vulnerable marine turtles, from threats such as capture, killing and consumption of meat. Though many of these collectives are supported by the Forest Department and larger NGOs such as the WWF, they often have to fund their own initiatives. “We call them the Local Marine Turtle Conservation Groups (LMTCG), and they have been very proactive in protecting the nesting beaches and the turtles coming to the shore, including relocation of the nests,” says Renjan. “They patrol these beach stretches through the night during nesting season to protect the eggs from human disturbance, stray dogs and jackals; relocating the nests if they are below the sand dune and high tide. These are people who have jobs during the day, some are daily labourers, electricians, painters, drivers … who sacrifice their sleep to protect these gentle creatures,” says Renjan. 

One of the first marine turtle conservation efforts was started at Kolavipalam, near Vadakara in Kozhikode, by a bunch of people living along the coast. “It was 1992. Having grown up near the sea, we were used to seeing these turtles. And turtle eggs were treated as a delicacy. Once we learned that the eggs were of the same turtles and that it was a threatened species, we decided to protect them,” says Dinesh Babu, one of the founder members and secretary of Theeram Prakriti Samrakshana Samithi.