In 2006, nearly four years after the environmental non-profit organisation Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra began its conservation efforts for Olive Ridley turtles along various beaches of the Konkan region, local villagers’ perception of these creatures had already transformed significantly.
Earlier, many villagers dug out the eggs laid by female turtles on sandy shores to eat or sell them. However, they had started to realize that the population of this marine species—listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—was declining due to human interference with their habitats and migratory routes.
“That’s when we thought that a turtle festival could boost tourism and improve incomes,” says Mohan Upadhye, one of the founders of the Velas Turtle Festival in Ratnagiri.
### The Birth of the Velas Turtle Festival
As a pilot project, a one-day festival was planned. Six of Velas village’s 225 homes, including the Upadhyes’, agreed to host guests. Within days, 125 bookings were received from tourists and wildlife enthusiasts eager to watch the little turtle hatchlings make their first trek to the sea.
Upadhye then reached out to owners of homes in Velas that remained locked for most of the year, their residents settled in Mumbai or other cities. “The responsibility of managing these homes and cooking for the visitors was entrusted to women’s self-help groups,” he explains. One such group even went on to establish a taluka-level catering business.
### Two Decades of Success
Almost two decades later, the turtle festival remains a resounding success. It has brought livelihoods to local people, increased support for turtle conservation, and fostered acceptance of a form of tourism that cares for nature and biodiversity.
Velas village, which until five years ago lacked mobile phone coverage, now boasts 45 homestays. The gram panchayat has passed key resolutions to preserve the authenticity of the travel experience: there are no hotels or resorts, all guests stay in homestays, and there is no motorable road or streetlights along the beachfront.
“We want to maintain it as a village. This protects villagers from land purchases by big hotel owners and preserves the beaches for the turtles,” says Upadhye.
### Turtle Watching and Community Engagement
From February to April, visitors are guided to watch hatchlings scurry towards the Arabian Sea during early mornings and late evenings. Upadhye and his colleagues provide briefings about Olive Ridley turtles and their conservation.
In 2010, Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra produced a documentary film about the Olive Ridleys, which is now screened for visitors inside a homestay at 7 pm. During other hours and the off-season, guided walks along the intertidal zone, birding tours, and other nature-based activities are offered—conducted by local youngsters trained by Upadhye.
“Everyone knows now that you can ask Velas kids to identify any species of birds or animals. They are that well-informed and trained,” he says.
### Discovering Ancient Heritage
Two years ago, locals discovered 20 petroglyphs—rock carvings that are among humankind’s oldest-known art forms—in a village 10 km away. Konkan is home to at least 1,500 such specimens dating back 4,000 to 5,000 years, making this an additional site of interest for visitors.
### Education and Conservation Legacy
Upadhye and his team also conduct summer and winter camps for children, focusing on what tourism should genuinely offer in terms of meaningful experiences.
Selected as a member of a biodiversity mapping project under the Mangroves division of the state government in 2016-17, Upadhye’s passion for the wild has proven infectious.
Recently, he was called to help rescue a nine-foot python trapped near a residential area. As he set out, a group of local youth joined him—those who he believes will carry forward Velas’s legacy of love and care for turtles and their natural habitat.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/angels-of-tourism/olive-ridley-turtles-lead-the-way-to-show-that-tourism-and-conservation-can-coexist