Bhubaneswar: Environmental activist Alaya Samantaray Tuesday urged the state government to stop the eco retreat programme at Pentha beach in Kendrapara citing threats to Olive Ridley sea turtles. In a letter to the regional office of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Samantaray requested the state authorities not to continue with the eco retreat programme at Pentha beach within Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. He said the beach is getting polluted as a result of eco-tourism activities which also cause environmental hazards in the area. “Human activities are posing a threat to the habitat and nesting sites of these turtles.
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Besides, they are also getting caught in shrimp nets,” he said. Samantaray also mentioned that Pentha Beach is one of the nesting sites of Olive Ridley sea turtles and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) puts them in endangered species category. In view of these facts, he said, the eco-retreat programmes should be stopped as they are prohibited in view of the restrictions under Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
