A village痴 unique economic trip
Panaji: The extraordinary story of a village in Konkan belt of Maharashtra, which has built its economy around turtle conservation, has set an example of livelihood and environment preservation going hand in hand.
Velas, a beach village in Ratnagiri district, around 200 kms from Mumbai, has used its location for an economic model that mixes tourism with turtle conservation to help locals earn extra income.
“Home stays are available in the village for tourists, who are shown turtle nesting and hatching,” Bhau Katdare, an activist of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM), a green NGO, said.
Katdare, who is based in Konkan town of Chiplun, is in Goa to participate in an international symposium on sea turtle conservation.
Velas is amongst the 30 villages along Maharashtra coast where turtle conservation has been taken up, he said.
Between 2002 and 2010, SNM has protected 604 nests and released more than 26,900 hatchlings into sea waters.
“While on a status survey of the white-bellied sea eagle along the Maharashtra coast, we found evidence of marine turtle nesting off Velas,” he said.
The village, a cluster of 800-odd people mostly engaged in farming, realised the potential of mixing turtle nesting with tourism after visitors showed interest in the endangered species.
Katdare said home stay at a rate of Rs 225 per day per person is being offered by the villagers, of which Rs 25 is kept aside for the turtle conservation.
Besides, women self-help groups are engaged in selling Konkan meva (a type of sweet) to the tourists, he said.
Katdare claimed that this was perhaps for the first time in India that an activity bringing together conservation and livelihood is being taken up.
“SNM has started a turtle festival at Velas, where locals get income from services provided to tourists.”
The NGO is also running a special blog uploading the information about its activities and has established a marine turtle knowledge information centre.
SNM has instituted `Kasav Mitra’ (turtle friend) award to recognise turtle hatchery management.
“The turtle nests are at sporadic places along the coast and hence the efforts cannot be concentrated at one place,” he said.