Human - Bird competition for plant resources in and around Masinangudi area,
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, South India

Abstract :

Five of the seven species of marine turtles found worldwide are reported to occur in Indian Coastal waters. Five species of the marine turtles, which are listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, have been recorded from the coastal waters of Tamilnadu. Olive ridley turtle, one of the common and yet vulnerable species among the Indian marine turtles, nests along the Tamil Nadu coastline. They are noted for mass nesting along the coast of Orissa, but reports from Tamil Nadu are scanty. In the present investigation an attempt has been made to study the status of biodiversity in the coastline ecosystem and also the Olive ridley turtles in the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Nagapattinam district, includes the coastline of Point Calimere, Tharangambadi, Vanagiri, Koolaiyur and Madavamed, and suggestions have been made for their conservation. Increasing the population of turtles in the wildlife sanctuary by protected hatching of eggs through hatcheries, creation of awareness among the local stakeholders to prevent poaching of turtles and encouraging them to involve in anti poaching activities had been the objectives of the study.Turtle protection camps enabled the recovery of threatened eggs, hatching through incubation for 45-52 days and subsequent reintroduction of the hatchlings into the sea. Eggs collected from different locations included 23352, which also represented three fold higher than the previous year. Among them 16847 hatchlings were produced on incubation with a success rate of hatching by 72%. Establishment of turtle egg hatcheries has steadily increased the success rate of and awareness programs have brought about an immense check on poaching of turtles and their eggs in this ecosystem.