Bhubaneswar: A joint study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has found that Olive Ridley turtles nesting in Odisha are genetically distinct from global populations.
Details Revealed
As the findings appear in Monitoring Sea Turtles in India 2008–2024, a report by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Dakhin Foundation.
The study analyzed sea turtle genetics along India’s mainland and islands, suggesting that Olive and Kemp’s Ridley turtles in India may be survivors of a once-widespread population that declined due to climatic shifts linked to the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. The Indian Ocean likely served as a refuge and re-colonization source for the species.
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Long-term monitoring is essential for tracking sea turtle populations. Since the late 2000s, the Dakhin Foundation, along with IISc and state forest departments, has monitored Olive Ridleys in Odisha and leatherbacks in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“We monitor leatherbacks in Little Andaman and survey the Nicobar Islands. In Lakshadweep, we study green turtles and their lagoon habitats,” said turtle biologist Muralidharan Manoharakrishnan.
Leatherback monitoring in Galathea, Great Nicobar, began in 2001 under ANET, following surveys by Satish Bhaskar. Though nesting beaches were damaged by the 2004 tsunami, they have since recovered.
Research on green and hawksbill turtles remains limited due to their low numbers. Recent work by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) has explored the impact of green turtle grazing on seagrass in Lakshadweep and its conflict with local fisheries.
Many Olive Ridleys migrate from Odisha to Sri Lanka and the Gulf of Mannar, noted BC Choudhury, former WII scientist and turtle expert.
