UN India YuWaah Advocate Soumya Ranjan Biswal on the connection between youth and the Sustainable Development Goals

Soumya Ranjan Biswal, a sustainability activist from Odisha, on his work for coastal conservation

In 2022, the United Nations and Yuwaah! came together to launch the UN India YuWaah Advocates. This group of youngsters will be selected from among grassroots sustainability champions from across the country. They will undergo an induction and orientation programme and be given mentorship. After two years, these advocates will act as role models and mentors for the future batches of advocates. The aim of this programme is to inspire the 350 million strong youth of the nation to support and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Among the first cohort of the YuWaah Advocates is 25-year-old Soumya Ranjan Biswal from Odisha. A firm believer in climate justice, he has been working to protect the Olive Ridley turtles and promote organic farming through active engagement, innovative ideas, and collective efforts. Excerpts from an interview with the young sustainability advocate:

Living along the coast, I was used to warnings and evacuations due to cyclones and tsunamis. But, my studies led me to discover the significant role of climate change in these occurrences. I learnt that mangroves act as natural barriers against calamities like tsunamis. In India, mangroves serve as habitats for around 4,000 plant and animal species, which are interconnected within the food web. However, the importance of marine creatures, mangroves, and wetlands is often overshadowed by the biodiversity and species found on land.

Also, our local area, particularly the mouth of the Devi, had been an important site for nesting turtles. Unfortunately, human activity had caused extensive damage. The direct disposal of waste from the nearby markets not only contributed to climate change but also resulted in the death of sea turtles and an increase in pollution along the coastline. It was a challenging situation that required immediate action. My mentors were two community leaders — Charu Maa (who won the Indian Biodiversity Award in 2012) and Bichi Bhai (an activist who has been working for the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles, sparrows, and snakes since 1994). I began by raising awareness about environmental issues on social media. Later, with guidance from YouTuber Abhudaya Rajiv Kelkar, I initiated a movement called Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan OPSA), which focuses on preserving community-led conservation efforts with regional significance.

OPSA is involved in raising awareness about Olive Ridley Sea Turtle conservation along the Odisha coastline. We organised a cycling event with a turtle as mascot. This helped spread the message of protecting the Olive Ridley turtle and promoting a clean ocean habitat among remote fishing villages and schools. We believe that training the local people is paramount to achieving the objective. So we teach best practices for managing sea turtle populations in various conservation camps across Odisha. We have also organised cultural awareness programmes in the potential nesting sites. These programmes highlight the importance of sea turtle conservation and its significance for the livelihoods of the community. We also take proactive measures at the Rushikulya snesting site before mass nesting occurs and help rescue baby turtles entangled in nets. Till now, OPSA has organised 328 beach clean-up activities as part of its action plan, involving volunteers, local communities, the Forest Department, and other stakeholders.

To begin with, the mortality rate of sea turtles has decreased from 100 to 30. Additionally, the number of unlawful commercial trawlers has also reduced from 250 to 30. This has had a positive impact on the region, as the sporadic nesting of sea turtles has increased from 350-400 nests to 750 nests. Moreover, our efforts to control the movement of large illegal trawlers have resulted in a remarkable 95% reduction in human pressure on mangroves. People are now more aware and conscientious about the importance of mangroves, leading to the flourishing of existing mangrove biodiversity.

At a time when we are facing water shortage, declining biodiversity, and rising temperatures due to climate change, it is necessary to involve the youth to find solutions. Adding the Sustainable Development Goals to the curriculum is crucial to empower and educate the youth in India. By integrating climate change, sustainability, and practical action topics into the school and college syllabus, we can nurture their sense of moral responsibility towards climate change mitigation and the SDGs.