Books

Marine Turtles of the Indian Subcontinent

Editors: Kartik Shanker & B.C. Choudhury
Year: 2006
Publisher: Hyderabad: Universities Press

Marine turtles become accessible to humans for brief episodes in their life history, when they leave the open oceans and lumber ashore to nest. These giant air-breathing turtles belong to the most ancient line of living reptiles. However, poaching and egg depredation, development along ocean and coastal zones, and the rapid expansion and mechanization of the fishing sector in the last few decades have severely endangered these tenacious survivors.

Five of the world’s seven species of marine turtles occur on the Indian subcontinent. Many of these form a part of regionally or globally important populations. Unfortunately, information for most sites and populations is unavailable or outdated, deriving from the initial path-finding surveys that were conducted between the early ‘70’s and ‘90s.

This book documents the results of surveys carried out under GOI-UNDP sponsored project between 2000 and 2002. It gives an update on the status of India’s marine turtles while providing an impetus for participatory conservation.