Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government will establish an international conservation and rehabilitation centre to protect Olive Ridley turtles in Chennai. It would also initiate measures to declare the Nanjarayan tank, a bio-diversity hotspot in Tiruppur district, as the State’s 17th bird sanctuary. This information was given Monday by Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ramachandran in the Assembly.
Ramachandran said the mission to protect the Olive Ridley turtles and their habitats would be set up here at a cost of Rs 6.3 crore. The centre would foster research, awareness and related activities on the turtles, he said. “This will be implemented under the ‘Tamil Nadu Green Mission’, which would go a long way towards climate change mitigation and adaptations,” Ramachandra said.
Further, the Nanjarayan tank, home to about 130 species, would be developed as the 17th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, the minister said. Steps would be taken to set up the Cauvery south wildlife sanctuary adjacent to the Cauvery north wildlife sanctuary. “About Rs 5 crore has been allotted for preparing a detailed project report for this,” Ramachandran informed.