8 December 2020.

Introduction:

A study found an increase in the number of female turtles in the Red Sea, due to increased sea temperature caused by ‘anthropogenic-climate-change’. The research team from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, investigated five different habitats of hawksbill and green turtles.

Highlights:

• A temperature of ’29°C’ is crucial to maintain balance between male and female turtles. However, studies temperate limit which is causing ‘Feminisation’ of turtles.
•  Above this temperature, the turtle hatchlings will predominantly be female.
•  The researchers during the study found that the temperature at four out of the selected five sites exceeded 29.2 degrees Celsius.

Conservation of Turtles.

 The classification of turtles by IUCN is as follows

• The Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles are classified as “Endangered”. Their population have declines by 50% in the last ten years
• Leatherback Turtles and Oliver Ridley Turtles have been classified as “Vulnerable”.
• Leatherback Turtle in Northwest Atlantic has been classified as “Endangered”.
• Green Turtle, Kemp’s Ridley Turtle and Hawksbill turtle have been classified as “Critically endangered”. According to IUCN, 80% of these turtles were lost in the last 10 years.

Conservation of Turtles in India

• In India, the Green Turtle and Hawksbill turtles are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Turtles are also protected under the Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga
• Rejuvenation programme. India has five species of turtles.
• They are Olive Ridley, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Green Turtle, Hawksbill.

World Turtle Day

• Every year World Turtle Day is celebrated on May 23.
• In 2020, the day was celebrated under the theme “Adopt, Don’t Shop”.
• The World Turtle Day is organised by the Non-Profit Organization called the American Tortoise Rescue.
• It is being observed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Wildlife Institute of India as well.