Nester Fernandes
A turtle track on a beach can look like nothing much if you are not looking for it. Just a drag mark in the sand with a few disturbed patches. Maybe the kind of thing most people would walk past on their way to a shack, a morning swim, or chai after sunrise. But for a sea turtle, that stretch of sand may be the difference between another generation and a broken line. That is what makes World Turtle Day special. Sea turtles have been moving through the oceans for millions of years. They crossed seas before man had roads, ports, fishing harbours, resorts, beach lights, and all the noise that now comes with coastal life. They are ancient animals, but living in a very modern problem. Their future depends heavily on how we treat beaches, dunes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, fishing grounds, and the larger coast. A SAFE NESTING SITE A sea turtle spends most of its life in the ocean, yet the beginning of its life happens on land. A nesting female comes ashore at night. She climbs above the high tide line, digs into the sand, lays her eggs, covers the nest, and returns to the sea. Weeks later, if the nest survives, the hatchlings emerge and start moving towards the water. Most hatchlings will not make it. Some are eaten by predators, dry out, get trapped or crawl towards artificial lights instead of the sea. Later, the ones that survive face fishing nets, plastic, ghost nets, boat traffic, changing seas, and all the other pressures that have added to their already difficult lives. The few that survive carry something remarkable. Sea turtles are believed to use natural cues, including the Earth’s magnetic field, to return to the region where they hatched. So a nesting beach is, basically, a biological address. A place stored in the animal’s life. That means a good turtle beach is not just a beach that looks nice in photos. It needs the right sand, a safe slope, enough space above the high tide line, darkness at night, fewer disturbances, healthy dunes, beach vegetation, and some breathing room for natural processes. Here in Goa, turtle nesting does not usually happen in the dramatic mass numbers people associate with Odisha. Our nesting is more scattered and easier to miss. But that makes every nest count even more. One nest on one beach may not look like a headline, but it matters. Every hatchling and beach that still gives turtles a chance matter. UNSUSTAINABLE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT One of the biggest concerns is unsustainable coastal development. Development without ecological sense can damage a beach badly. When dunes are not taken care of, beach plants are removed, sand movement is blocked, and structures come too close to the shore, the beach starts losing its natural function. It may still look “developed” or even beautiful but ecologically, it begins to become an issue for a turtle, the upper beach is nesting space for hatchlings, the moonlight by the sea, the vibrations and sounds of the waves are direction for the hatchlings and for the coast, dunes are part of the living system. The beach is a habitat, not an empty stretch of sand. Sea turtles use it for nesting, but many others are tied to it too beach plants, crabs, insects, shorebirds, dune vegetation, and tiny lives most of us never notice. Even after a turtle nest hatches, the story continues. The eggs that do not hatch, the broken shells, and the organic matter left behind return nutrients to the sand and can support beach and dune plants. In a strange and beautiful way, sea turtles carry nutrients from the ocean back to the land. Their nesting beaches become birthplaces, feeding spaces, and part of a larger coastal cycle. India has seen a lot of important sea turtle work over the years. Nest monitoring, hatchery management, tagging, satellite tracking, beach surveys, bycatch studies, and community-led protection have all helped understand turtles better. Much of this work is a lot of hard work and dedication by the Forest Department staff, local communities, researchers, and volunteers. BRINGING THE FOCUS ON TURTLES IN GOA Books, field guides, research, art, and films have also brought sea turtles closer to people. ‘Turtle Walker’, a film on Indian sea turtle conservationist Satish Bhaskar and his work along India’s coastline, does this beautifully as it shows turtles through fieldwork, history, landscape, science, and human dedication. That kind of storytelling has power. Sometimes a film, a book, a walk, a classroom session, or even one good conversation can make someone care before they are asked to act. In Goa, there is a renewed interest in sea turtles now as more people are asking questions. Children are learning about the different types of turtles and families want to understand nesting beaches. People are beginning to ask why beach lighting, dogs, dunes, fishing nets, and responsible tourism matter. Conservation often starts with attention and then slowly, behaviour changes. We also need to be more vigilant. A nest can be disturbed overnight. A nesting turtle can turn back because of crowding, noise, flash photography, or people standing too close. World Turtle Day should make us look beyond sea turtles. Goa also has freshwater turtles and terrapins in wetlands, ponds, lakes, fields, khazan systems, and riverine areas. They do not get the same attention but they matter just as much. These are living systems, full of relationships that are easy to miss until someone points them out. That is why education, field walks, art, films, research, monitoring, and community conversations matter. Some people connect through facts, through stories and some by seeing an animal. Sea turtles are ocean travellers. They remind us that ancient life is still trying to return to our modern beaches. They remind us that the coast is not separate from us. They remind us that conservation is not some faraway thing handled by someone else. It is here right under our feet, in the sand, in the tide, in the wetlands, in the decisions we make casually every day. (Nester Fernandes is a marine biologist, ecologist, and founder of Canopy by the Coast, a Goa-based social enterprise working at the intersection of nature education and, conservation outreach.)
