Govt plans to track, protect sea turtles with microchips and conservation centres

Karwar: The state government has announced plans to study the lifestyle of sea turtles arriving along the coastal areas of Karnataka. As part of the initiative, the government will install microchips in certain turtles and set up a rehabilitation and conservation centre near Hiregutti, close to Honnavar, for the repopulation and protection of the turtles arriving in the state.

Every year, thousands of sea turtles, mainly the Olive Ridley species, migrate to the state’s coastal region to lay their eggs along the shoreline. These eggs are vulnerable to poaching, and protecting them, as well as ensuring the safe release of hatchlings, is a critical task for the authorities. To address this, the Forest Department, in collaboration with the Integrated Development Wildlife Habitat (IDWTH), has initiated plans for the establishment of rehabilitation and conservation centres for sea turtles.

The responsibility of protecting turtle eggs and hatchlings falls under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. The turtles lay their eggs along the shores, and if these eggs are exposed to seawater, they are likely to fail in their development. To prevent this, the department plans to work with local communities to locate and protect the eggs.

Once the eggs are found, the department will create protective enclosures around them using tents and nets to safeguard them from animals and other threats. The nests will be periodically checked until the eggs hatch, which typically takes 40-60 days.

To ensure the survival of the hatchlings, the Hiregutti Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre will be built near Honnavar, where the eggs will be cared for and eventually released into the sea once they have hatched. In addition to protecting the eggs, the government plans to track the movements of the turtles using microchips.

Starting from December to March, some turtles will be fitted with satellite tagging microchips to monitor their migration patterns. The Forest Department will collaborate with wildlife research organizations such as the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to collect data and study the turtles’ movements.

With the help of the microchips, the authorities will be able to track which routes the turtles take, how long they stay in certain areas, and which coastal regions they ultimately reach. This data will help authorities to better understand the lifestyle of sea turtles and plan their conservation efforts for the coming years.

Honnavar has already witnessed significant success in turtle conservation.

Last year, 26,500 turtle eggs were discovered and protected along the Honnavar coast, and the hatchlings were safely released back into the sea. The Forest Department in the region is now working to expand these efforts by constructing new facilities for the rehabilitation and protection of both the turtles and their eggs.

The conservation project for sea turtles and their eggs is part of a broader plan to protect the biodiversity of the state’s coastal regions. According to C.K. Yogesh, the Assistant Forest Conservation Officer for Honnavar, the microchip tracking system will help authorities keep a close watch on turtle movements, ensuring that the conservation efforts are based on scientific data and are more effective.