SOP released to conserve sea turtles across 36 islands of Lakshadweep

A comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for sea turtle conservation has been released, covering all 36 islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago — th...

What Happened

A comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for sea turtle conservation has been released, covering all 36 islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago — the first such unified framework for the island territory.
The SOP establishes standardised protocols for monitoring nesting beaches, handling stranded or injured turtles, managing egg incubation, and regulating human activity in and around nesting zones.
The framework addresses the specific ecological context of Lakshadweep, where uninhabited islands such as Thinnakara, Parali, Kalpitti, Suheli, and Cheriyam serve as primary nesting grounds for Green and Hawksbill turtles.
A coordinated management approach has been outlined, bringing together forest and wildlife departments, fisheries authorities, and local community stakeholders under a single operational protocol.
The SOP also provides guidance on data collection and reporting, creating a baseline for long-term population monitoring of sea turtles across the archipelago.

Static Topic Bridges

Sea Turtle Species in Indian Waters

Five species of sea turtles are found in Indian waters: the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). In Lakshadweep specifically, Green and Hawksbill turtles are the most commonly recorded species in the island lagoons, while Olive Ridley nesting is comparatively rare here (Olive Ridley nesting in India is concentrated on the Odisha coast, particularly around Gahirmatha).

All five sea turtle species found in India are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — the highest tier of legal protection, which prohibits hunting, trade, and collection of eggs.
IUCN Red List status: Hawksbill — Critically Endangered; Green turtle — Endangered; Olive Ridley, Leatherback, and Loggerhead — Vulnerable.
The Olive Ridley was reclassified from Endangered to Vulnerable by the IUCN in 2008 following population recovery on parts of the Indian coast.

Connection to this news: The SOP operationalises the legal protections already enshrined in Schedule I of the WPA, 1972, by providing field-level guidance specific to Lakshadweep's ecological context — something a generic legal framework cannot deliver.

Lakshadweep: Geography and Marine Ecology

Lakshadweep is India's smallest Union Territory, comprising 36 islands (12 atolls, 3 reefs, and 5 submerged banks) located in the Arabian Sea off the southwest coast. It lies on the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge, an exposed undersea mountain chain, and is grouped into three island clusters: Amindivi, Lacadives, and Minicoy. The territory hosts one of India's four major coral reef regions, with over 600 marine fish species, 78 coral species, and critical seagrass meadows that serve as feeding and nursery habitats for sea turtles.

Lakshadweep's coral reefs have been classified as a wetland under the National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme.
The Lakshadweep Marine Research and Conservation Centre (LMRCC), established on 16 January 2008, is the first organisation in the territory focused on community-based marine conservation.
White sand beaches on uninhabited islands provide ideal nesting habitat; threats include coastal tourism, coral mining, plastic pollution, and incidental capture (bycatch) in fishing nets.

Connection to this news: The SOP directly addresses the geographically fragmented nature of Lakshadweep — 36 islands spread over a vast sea area — by providing a uniform, island-applicable protocol rather than ad hoc island-by-island approaches.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — Schedule I

The Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 is the primary legislation for wildlife conservation in India. It creates a tiered Schedule system: Schedule I animals receive absolute protection — hunting, poaching, trade, or any form of disturbance is a cognisable offence with stringent penalties. Schedule IV species have lighter protection. All sea turtles in India are Schedule I species.

Section 9 of the WPA, 1972 prohibits hunting of any Schedule I species.
Section 51 prescribes imprisonment up to 7 years and/or fine for Schedule I offences.
India is also a signatory to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), under which all sea turtles are listed in Appendix I — prohibiting international commercial trade.

Connection to this news: The SOP provides the on-ground operational mechanism that gives effect to the legal mandates of the WPA, 1972 and India's CITES commitments in the specific context of Lakshadweep's distributed island system.

Arribada and Sea Turtle Nesting Ecology

Sea turtles exhibit natal philopatry — females return to the same beach where they were born to nest, often travelling thousands of kilometres. Olive Ridley turtles are known for mass-nesting events called "arribada" (Spanish for "arrival"), notably at Gahirmatha (Odisha), Rushikulya, and Devi river mouth. Green and Hawksbill turtles, dominant in Lakshadweep, tend to nest individually rather than in mass aggregations. A female may nest 3–7 times per season, laying approximately 100–150 eggs per clutch, with an incubation period of about 45–70 days.

Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha is the world's largest Olive Ridley nesting site.
Sea turtles take 20–50 years to reach sexual maturity, making population recovery slow and conservation interventions long-term in nature.
Temperature during incubation determines the sex of hatchlings (Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination — TSD), making nesting beaches particularly sensitive to climate change.

Connection to this news: Understanding nesting ecology is the scientific foundation for any effective SOP — protocols for beach patrol timing, nest relocation decisions, and hatchery management all derive from species-specific nesting biology.

Key Facts & Data

Lakshadweep consists of 36 islands: 12 atolls, 3 reefs, and 5 submerged banks.
All five sea turtle species in Indian waters are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Green and Hawksbill turtles are the primary species in Lakshadweep's lagoons.
Hawksbill turtles are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List; Green turtles are Endangered.
Lakshadweep's marine ecosystem includes 600+ marine fish species and 78 coral species.
LMRCC (Lakshadweep Marine Research and Conservation Centre) was established on 16 January 2008.
India is a CITES Appendix I signatory for all sea turtle species, prohibiting international trade.
Sea turtles take 20–50 years to reach sexual maturity — underscoring the need for long-term, structured conservation frameworks.