Goa: HC orders crackdown against beach parties affecting turtle nesting

Goa has around six turtle nesting sites to spot the well-known Olive Ridley Turtles. These sites are spread across four seashores in the south and north Goa and these seashores are acknowledged as ‘Turtle Beach’.

The Bombay high court at Goa has ordered a crackdown on beach parties being held in the vicinity of turtle nesting sites along Goa’s beaches and called for an inquiry into the impact of late-night beach parties at beachfront shacks along Goa’s protected turtle nesting beaches at Morjim and Ashvem in North Goa.

The nesting period of turtles is usually between February and March (Representative Photo)

The nesting period of turtles is usually between February and March.

The move came after state forest minister Vishwajit Rane announced “stern action” after receiving reports of parties taking place barely 100 metres from the nesting sites. “We will take stern action against the concerned individuals, in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act,” Rane said.

“These are highly vulnerable locations because there are very few places around the globe where such sites remain. Literature suggests that the Olive Ridley Turtles have been coming to these few and chosen sites for thousands of years for nesting. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to state that these are natural heritage sites, if not natural wonders,” the high court bench of Justices M S Sonak and B P Deshpande said.

Goa has around six turtle nesting sites to spot the well-known Olive Ridley Turtles. These sites are spread across four seashores in the south and north Goa and these seashores are acknowledged as ‘Turtle Beach’.

The high court directed the state authorities, including the deputy collector, police inspector, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), and the forest department officials “to visit the site and assess the situation and to file reports indicating the steps taken to protect these nesting sites.”

“This should be done immediately,” the court noted while restraining the authorities from granting permissions for parties along beaches notified as turtle nesting sites.

“We will make a representation to them as the law requires, and the forest department will be proactive and take whatever action is necessary to prevent any kind of disturbance to the turtle nesting sites… there is a specific provision and a law under the Forest Conservation Act. The forest department and the PCCF [Principal Chief Conservator of Forests] have been directed to take appropriate action under the same,” he said.

The Goa forest department since 1997, initiated sea turtle conservation programmes along four beach stretches– Morjim and Ashvem in north Goa and Agonda and Galgibaga in south Goa.

There are fluctuating trends of nesting as seen on all beach stretches with the number of nests going up to 30 nests per year on each identified beach stretch.