NTPC and AP Forest Dept take initiative to save Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and NTPC ltd have joined hands to save the endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtles along the sea coasts if nine districts of Andhra Pradesh. The move to save the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles from going extinct has been taken under the Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development initiative of NTPC.

NTPC Simhadri’s Group General Manger PK Bondriya and SBL Misra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Government of AP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Arnaya Bhavan in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

NTPC is contributing Rs 4.6 crore for this conservation project under the initiative. The duration of the project is five years and it includes inventory mapping of breeding sites of sea turtles, identifying nesting and breeding habitats along the shore line, identifying their migratory routes, Safeguarding and minimising turtle mortality.

Sporadic nesting of sea turtles is common on the coastal beaches in Andhra Pradesh.  Three species are there in Andhra Pradesh - Olive Ridley, Green Turtle and Hawksbill.