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Orissa’s women lead the way to safeguard turtles and spur new income

Women in Orissa's fishing community benefit from the conservation of the rare Olive Ridley turtle. (Photo: UNDP India)

An effort to safeguard a rare species of turtle and boost fishing stocks in India’s eastern coastal state of Orissa has more than doubled income among the approximately 400,000 women involved in local fishing activities.

Annual income for women in Orissa’s fishing community rose from about US$460 to US$970 between 2004 and 2010, according to Samudram, an organization that supports turtle conservation and income generating work and won the 2010 Equator Prize supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Conservation of Olive Ridley turtles is critical to the livelihood security of Orissa’s coastal communities,” said Naveen Patnaik, Orissa’s Chief Minister, speaking last month at a ceremony to honour Samudram Women’s Federation of Orissa as a recipient of the Equator prize.

Samudram had organized women in Orissa’s fishing community to counter threats against the Olive Ridleys from large-scale trawling, beach erosion and industrial pollution. Members of the organization, that works four districts of the state, planted mangroves, cleared beaches and set up safe nesting sites.

Measures to protect turtles, which feed on the jellyfish that eat fish larvae, were aimed at reversing the decline in stocks of fish on which the local population depends for its livelihood. Field studies showed a 50 percent decrease in turtle mortality between 2005 and 2009.

While women are not involved in offshore fishing, organizations such as Samudram and the United Artists Association have helped to train women in the fishing community to create products from the catch, including dried or pickled snack foods that sell at a higher cost than unprocessed fish.

“Initiatives such as these that empower women and communities that are reliant on natural wealth to think globally and act locally must lie at the cornerstone of our poverty reduction efforts,” said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Country Director.

The Indian government recognized the Olive Ridley as an endangered species in the 1972 Indian Wildlife Protection Act and UNDP has supported the Government in monitoring migration and national conservation of the species, including in Orissa, the world’s biggest nesting site for the turtles.

UNDP’s Equator Initiative is a global partnership aimed at supporting local communities that are seeking to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.