First Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation centre to come in Chennai

With its long coastline hosting five species of marine turtles, Tamil Nadu’s first Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre will be set up very soon in Chennai with integrated facilities to rescue injured turtles and rehabilitate them back to the sea after recovery and a special strategy to involve fishing community members as their guards.
To be set up at a cost of Rs 6.30 crores, the centre will have state-of-the-art facilities for promoting conservation efforts alongside promoting research, data collection and creating awareness among other activities. Though five species of marine turtles are found in Tamil Nadu’s long coastline, it is the Olive Ridley species that mostly nests along the coasts. Officials said a well-planned strategy needs to be in place for long-term and sustainable conservation of turtles as they face severe threats due to increasing biotic pressure, habitat loss, and adverse impact of climate change. Marine pollution including microplastics also causes serious damage to turtle populations worldwide, they said.