Turtles nested in record numbers at Great Nicobar project site

…As-singkily, a researcher in marine turtle ecology and population genetics, told Scroll that this latest data confirms Galathea as the beach with highest-recorded leatherback nests in the region for a single season. “ Galathea is an exceptionally productive reproductive habitat today ,” said As-singkily, who is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Indonesia Species Specialist Group. “The 889 nests are particularly striking compared with…

…and Nicobar Islands or the western coast of Sumatra as was seen after the tsunami of 2004”. But Hiltrud Cordes of the Turtle Foundation, which also works extensively in the region, is worried about this argument. “ A sudden loss of a key nesting beach through a massive construction poses a big threat to a vulnerable nesting population ,” she said. “Nesting beaches in Sumatra are themselves not a safe place for sea turtles. Even though all species of sea turtles are protected by law in Indonesia, there is a high level of poaching of eggs and turtles…

…a port cannot even be considered here, a fact that the National Green Tribunal ignored completely when passing its final order in February dismissing all concerns on ecological and legal grounds related to the project. The 2026 nesting records of the Leatherback “make it imperative that the Galathea nesting ground is safeguarded under any circumstances” said BC Choudhury, a former head of Endangered Species Management Department of Wildlife Institute of India and an IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Member. “It shows why the development sector should not go…