A year after Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo forward ed a letter from the Anjuna Biodiversity Board to the Goa Coastal Zone Manage ment Authority (GCZMA) seeking to declare Dream Beach a turtle nesting site, two key government de partments — the Forest Department and GCZMA — appear to be passing the buck even as the Olive Rid ley nesting season begins. In an RTI reply dat ed May 23, 2025, the Forest Department ad mitted that “the area in question is already a turtle nesting site.” Yet, a subse quent RTI response from GCZMA on September 1, 2025, stated, “we are await ing reply from the Forest Department.” For locals and turtle lovers, this bureaucratic back-and-forth exposes the government’s lackadaisical attitude toward protecting the endangered Olive Rid ley turtles. Records since the 2021 22 season show a steady rise in turtle visits and egg-laying until April 2024. But in the 2024–25 season, numbers dropped sharp ly — from 1,868 eggs in 2023–24 to 1,229, and from 17 nesting turtles to 12. The decline has alarmed conservationists. Aaron Fernandes, a member of the Goa State Biodiversity Board Strate gic Action Plan (GSBBSAP) sub-committee for Her petofauna, Mammals and Associated Species, has urged both agencies to act urgently.
“Given the critical ecological importance of the proposed nesting site, and considering the beach is undergoing se vere environmental degradation due to unregulated and uncontrolled commercial activities, it is imperative that studies are conducted and reports submitted to GCZMA forthwith,” Fernandes wrote in a letter dated October 31, 2025, accessed by O Heraldo. Locals blame the decline on rampant nightlife and illegal beach parties. “For a few years, Dream Beach was used by outsiders for continuous four-to-five-day parties in December and Janu ary. It was only after O Heraldo exposed it that such par ties stopped last year. The government cares more about money than turtles,” fumed environmental activist Balb him Tukaram Malvankar. He added, “Fireworks are burst after 10 pm, and loud music and lights go on till early morning. The authorities sleep while the residents — and turtles — suffer.” Earlier, on January 20, 2025, T B Kharbe, Range Forest Of ficer (Marine Range, Morjim), had written to GCZMA remind ing that “all authorities are duty bound to protect such sites. In particular, such sites should not be disturbed by blaring music or glaring lights because turtles and their hatchlings are incredibly vulnerable to noise and light pollution.” This season’s first turtle arrival — on January 23, 2025 — was significantly delayed compared to previous years, when nesting began around October–November. “There are people who, in the name of tourism, think they can disturb the habitat of Olive Ridleys. Making money seems more important than saving an endangered species. Even the police have ignored our complaints,” said Satyan Harmalkar, member of the Anjuna Biodiversity Board. Local resident Maxcy D’Souza voiced his frustration: “Un der this regime, our beaches and CRZ areas are being van dalised. Anjuna and Vagator have become hotspots of cor ruption. The people in power think they can lie and do what they want. We may stay quiet for now, but not for long.”
