Protect India's Olive Ridley Turtles

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Protect India's Olive Ridley Turtles

The Olive Ridley sea turtle offers one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Each year, Olive Ridleys return from their inter-oceanic migrations to the beaches where they were hatched. Hundreds of thousands congregate and mate in the offshore waters. Then, as if on cue, the females lumber ashore to lay their eggs. Their arrival -- by the hundreds of thousands on a given beach -- is heralded by the Spanish term for this remarkable event, the arribada.

Arribadas occur in only three locations worldwide. One of the largest is on the coast of Orissa state in India. This is currently under threat by the Orissa state government granting permission for construction of a massive deep-water industrial port by TATA Steel less than 15 kilometers from the Olive Ridleys nesting beaches.

This construction could spell extinction for this nesting population of Olive Ridley sea turtles and have devastating impacts on the local fishing people.

Please send a letter today to TATA Steel and the Orissa state government urging them to stop the construction of this port.

May 18, 2013

Subject:
Stop Construction of Dhamra Port

Dear Ratan Tata and Shri Naveen Patanaik

The people of Orissa state are very fortunate to be caretakers of one of nature's grandest spectacles: the annual arribadas of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. I appreciate the efforts you have made to protect this ancient and marvelous species, most notably the establishment of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.  These protected areas are necessary to assure safe breeding and nesting areas as well as the turtles' source of food during their massive gatherings and arribadas.

The protected zones are not, however sufficient to ensure the survival of the Olive Ridley.  The species is keenly sensitive to illumination, pollution, ship traffic and many physical characteristics of their nesting beaches. These could all be dramatically affected by construction of the Dhamra Port.

In addition to potentially catastrophic consequences for the Olive Ridleys, the Dhamra Port also threatens the well-being and livelihoods of local fishermen and their families who depend on the health of the fragile mangrove and marine ecosystems.  Inevitably, pollution from the Dhamra Port would impact the health of these critical ecosystems that are nurseries for a wealth of marine species.

I urge TATA Steel to apply the Precautionary Principle as required by the Global Compact and to uphold its reputation for environmental responsibility by relocating its port facility to a site where it will not threaten endangered species, critical ecosystems and fishermen's livelihoods.

Likewise, I urge the Orissa government to continue to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle and preserve the livelihoods of local fishing communities by revoking its approval for the Dhamra Port.

Please give your immediate attention to this matter of urgent global concern.

Sincerely,

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A fax or personal letter is even more effective! Postage from the US is only 90 cents!

Mr. Ratan Tata
Chairman, TATA Sons
Bombay House
24, Homy Modi Street
Bombay: 400001 INDIA
Fax: Int'l Code + 91 22 6665 7724

Shri Naveen Patanaik
Chief Minister, Orissa
Naveen Nivas,
Aerodrome Gate,
P.O.-Bhubaneswar-751001
Dist.-Khurda (Orissa) INDIA
Fax: 91 67 4259 0833

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