Bid floated for construction of turtle conservation centre at Guindy Park
The centre will be constructed with the fund of Tamil Nadu: Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy Project (TN-SHORE), which is a World Bank-aided project
Proposed construction of Turtle Conservation Centre (Photo/X)
CHENNAI: Two years after the state government issued an order to set up the Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre in Guindy Park, the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission has floated a tender for the construction of the centre at Rs 6.30 crore.
The centre will be constructed with the funds under Tamil Nadu: Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy Project (TN-SHORE), which is a World Bank-aided project.
As part of the initiative, a rescue and treatment centre will be set up to treat and rehabilitate injured turtles. Setting up an effective intelligence network to collect information on turtle trade to curb poaching, identifying turtle nesting areas and studying their migratory routes using flipper tagging, molecular genetics, and satellite telemetry are other objectives of the project.
The centre will also identify critical habitats such as migratory corridors, nesting beaches, inter-nesting and feeding areas, besides designating and managing protected areas.
It will assess the adverse impact of marine and coastal developmental works and other human activities on the marine turtle populations and their habitats. In addition, monitoring water quality to prevent land-based and maritime pollution, including marine debris that may adversely affect marine turtles, is another objective.
The Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre will have facilities like a turtle pool and a turtle shed, in addition to the medical facilities for the rehabilitation of rescued turtles. The centre will act as a temporary home to sick and injured turtles before they are released back to their natural habitat.
"The resource and knowledge centre and modern visitor amenities will make the centre a state-of-the-art facility for learning and awareness on turtle conservation," the government order had said.
The coastline of Tamil Nadu hosts 5 species of marine turtles - Olive Ridley, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Loggerhead turtles. Tamil Nadu has been a pioneer in taking steps towards the conservation of turtles. Turtle hatcheries were set up in Tamil Nadu way back in 1974.