COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, April 20 (IPS) – Each winter 1000’s of sea turtles come ashore at Cox’s Bazar, within the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, to put eggs.
Their path to their breeding grounds is hazardous – fishing nets, propellers, mild air pollution, coastal developments, stray canine and different risks conspire in opposition to their success.
The realm is wealthy in biodiversity, with 5 out of seven historical reptiles current in Bangladesh’s waters, with three – the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), the Inexperienced Turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) – coming ashore for nesting.
Amid such unfavourable odds for the aquatic creatures, a gaggle of younger folks volunteer to guard the turtles on the seaside at Cox’s Bazar throughout the breeding season from November to March, contributing to their profitable conservation.
“Prior to now, we didn’t understand how sea turtles assist preserve marine ecosystems. Now we all know sea turtles play an necessary function in conserving biodiversity,” Rezaul Karim, a resident of Shafir Beel village in Cox’s Bazar, informed Inter Press Service (IPS).
Karim is likely one of the youths educated for sea turtle conservation below a undertaking run by the Arannayk Basis, a non-profit conservation organisation in Bangladesh. The inspiration established a sea turtle conservation group involving 25 native youths (11 girls, 14 males) below its Ecosystem Consciousness and Restoration By way of Concord (EARTH) undertaking. EARTH is supported by the Forest Division, the Division of Setting (DoE), and the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP) with funding from the World Setting Facility (GEF).
The group is working to lift consciousness about sea turtle conservation amongst fishermen, youth, and the area people. They’re additionally aiming to encourage a shift in native attitudes by partaking group members.
Group chief Delwar Hossain, a resident of Sonarpara village below Ukhyia upazila, stated sea turtles play a vital function in sustaining marine ecosystems, as totally different species of sea turtles assist sweep or clear the ocean by managing numerous meals sources and habitats.
He stated there’s a superstition among the many marine fishermen that if turtles are caught of their fishing gear, it is going to carry dangerous luck and that’s the reason they kill turtles caught of their nets.
“We held conferences with the fishermen a number of occasions and made them conscious of sea turtle conservation,” Delwar stated.
Gabriella Richardson Temm, Lead of the Small Grants Program at the GEF, says civil society, Indigenous Peoples, native communities, and youth and ladies teams around the globe “play vital roles in shaping world growth agendas. They ship transformational options to world environmental issues, carry rights holders and marginalised voices into nationwide coverage dialogues, and elevate native priorities in worldwide environmental negotiations and financing.”
The small grants program has served as a cornerstone of civil society engagement inside the GEF partnership since its inception in 1992.
“Over three many years, this system has demonstrated outstanding attain and influence, administering over US$1.5 billion by means of almost 30,000 grants to Indigenous Peoples, native communities, girls, and youth throughout 136 nations. This intensive community has efficiently secured US$990 million in co-financing, demonstrating this system’s effectiveness in mobilising further assets for environmental motion on the grassroots stage,” says Temm.
Grassroots group safety has been acknowledged as contributing to the success of transferring one of many sea turtles – the inexperienced turtle – to the Worldwide Union for Cons
ervation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘Least Concern’ record. Different components embrace worldwide commerce bans, decreased poaching, and improved fishing gear.
Nevertheless, the species predominantly nesting within the Cox’s Bazar seashores, the Olive Ridley is classed as ‘Susceptible’on the IUCN Crimson Listing of Threatened Species, whereas the Hawksbill Turtle stays ‘Critically Endangered’ attributable to inhabitants declines.
Institution of Turtle Hatchery
In Cox’s Bazar, with the assistance of the muse, the youth group surveyed a ten km stretch from Reju Khal to Balia Khali seaside to determine sea turtle nesting websites. It additionally gathered insights from native communities on sea turtle breeding seasons, nesting frequency, most popular areas, and group perceptions concerning conservation.
Following the evaluation, a sea turtle hatchery was established in Boro Inani, Cox’s Bazar. The hatchery is now enjoying a vital conservation function, as these statistics present.
Between January and April 2024, 5,878 Olive Ridley eggs had been collected from numerous nests at Swankhali, Ruppati, Imamer Deil, and Madarbunia sea seashores, leading to 3,586 hatchlings hatching, with a mean hatching success of 61 %.
Additionally, from February to April 2025, a complete of three,199 eggs had been collected, and by Could 2025, 716 hatchlings had been launched.
Delwar stated that stray canine usually eat the turtle eggs so the hatchery makes a major contribution.
“We gather eggs that turtles launch on the shore and convey these to the hatchery for hatching. Apart from, we ask the group folks to provide turtle eggs to the hatchery. We, the group members, gather the turtle eggs from them too.”
Nurul Afsar, one other TCG member, stated many ethnic communities dwelling in Cox’s Bazar eat turtles and their eggs – so the group performs a task in encouraging them to not eat however as a substitute shield them.
ABM Sarowar Alam, program supervisor (species and habitats) on the IUCN in Bangladesh, stated Cox’s Bazar Seaside was as soon as the best breeding floor for sea turtles, however it has dwindled attributable to habitat loss, poaching, and human disturbance.
He believes that a number of areas of the seaside ought to be declared as “protected areas for sea turtles” to make sure secure breeding and that fishing ought to be restricted within the canals connecting to the ocean in order that turtles can transfer freely for nesting.
The group additionally addresses different hazards, akin to the difficulty of stray canine that kill the turtles and eat the eggs.
Firoz Al Amin, vary officer of Inani Forest Vary in Ukhiya, stated the Forest Division has been working to manage the stray canine on the seaside, aiming to guard the turtles.
EARTH Undertaking, Extra Than Turtle Conservation
Dr Mohammed Muzammel Hoque, nationwide coordinator of the GEF Small Grants Program at UNDP Bangladesh, stated the EARTH undertaking’s function went past turtle conservation within the area.
It has elephant-response groups to mitigate conflicts between elephants and people. The 5 Crab Conservation Teams (CCG), comprising 25 youth members, and 5 sea Turtle Conservation Teams (TCG), additionally consisting of 25 youth members, stay energetic. The undertaking was additionally working in direction of restoring habitats, with over 7,780 seedlings planted with assist from the EARTH Undertaking, with round 80% surviving.
Nevertheless, Hoque stated that the success relies on funding – and it’s hoped that after a Forest Path turns into operational, it may possibly generate income from vacationers.
Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, program coordinator of the Arannayk Basis, stated the undertaking, by integrating livelihoods with conservation, “helped develop a way of possession amongst group members and youth, guaranteeing that environmental safety isn’t just a undertaking final result however a sustained, collective dedication.”
Notice: The Eighth World Setting Facility Meeting might be held from Could 30 to June 6, 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
This characteristic is printed with the assist of the GEF. IPS is solely answerable for the editorial content material, and it doesn’t essentially replicate the views of the GEF.
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