Save India’s Olive Ridley Sea Turtles from New Port Construction

Dear Mr. Jairam Ramesh,
As citizens, sea turtle conservationists, and scientists from around the world, we wish to share concerns for the olive sea turtles that would be threatened by the construction of the POSCO port project near Paradip, Orissa with the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The proposed port construction is located at an important olive ridley mass nesting ground. The conservation value of this specific population of sea turtles is very unique as it has been proven that India’s olive ridleys gave rise to populations in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Constructing the port at the proposed site would jeopardize the sea turtles because of dredging, vessel traffic, light pollution, and potential contamination of the habitat from the oil and hazardous metals in the operations. Dredging and vessel traffic kill sea turtles, while light pollution disrupts nesting behavior and can lead to the death of hatchling sea turtles that stray from their path to the ocean. The vessels and port operations are likely to contaminate the area with oil and heavy metals, both of which are toxic to sea turtles.

India can build on its past conservation of sea turtles and their habitat found in the Indian Wildlife Act, Indian Ocean-South East Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding, and the Convention on Migratory Species by preventing the industrialization of Orissa’s fragile coastal ecosystem and halting the proposed POSCO port project.