PROJECT APPROACHNetworking <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> stakeholdersOne <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> aims <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> project was to enhance <strong>the</strong> knowledge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> different stakeholders (government andn<strong>on</strong>-government) by providing training towards <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> and management <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g>s in <strong>the</strong>state. Under this scope <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> work, some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> <strong>coast</strong>al stretches were selected for making <strong>the</strong> <strong>coast</strong>alpopulace aware <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> project and <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> al<strong>on</strong>g <strong>Gujarat</strong> <strong>coast</strong>. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>sestretches were selected based <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> following criteria: sites with higher nesting records, based <strong>on</strong> datafrom GOI-UNDP project (2000-01), adequate coverage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> potential <strong>coast</strong>, villages located closer t<strong>on</strong>esting beach and involvement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> local communities or residents during <strong>the</strong> GOI-UNDP project.<strong>Gujarat</strong> St ate Forest DepartmentCo-coordinating <strong>the</strong> project with <strong>the</strong> <strong>Gujarat</strong> State Forest Department (GSFD) was ano<strong>the</strong>r objective <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><strong>the</strong> project. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore, implementati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> project was informed to State and c<strong>on</strong>cerned district levelauthorities such as <strong>the</strong> Chief C<strong>on</strong>servator <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Forest (state), C<strong>on</strong>servators and Deputy C<strong>on</strong>servators <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>forest <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Kachchh, Jamnagar, Porbandhar and Junagadh districts. Forest department field staff at <strong>the</strong> level<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> foresters, forest guards, and watchers were involved in nest m<strong>on</strong>itoring with <strong>the</strong> guidance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong>irsenior <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficers. Fur<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> trained staff <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Kachchh and Porbandhar districts were actively involved innest m<strong>on</strong>itoring, which provided nesting data to <strong>the</strong> project.Training workshopUnder this project, two training workshops were c<strong>on</strong>ducted in Kachchh and Porbandhar districts for <strong>the</strong>state forest department staff and a few interested local villagers. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se workshops had lectures in <strong>Gujarat</strong>i(<strong>the</strong> local language) to introduce <strong>the</strong> participants to <strong>the</strong> basic <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g> biology, nesting biology, threats,and <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> and management. A field visit was included in <strong>the</strong> afterno<strong>on</strong> sessi<strong>on</strong> andtraining was imparted <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g> survey and nest m<strong>on</strong>itoring techniques. A field guide was prepared in<strong>Gujarat</strong>i with pictures and distributed to <strong>the</strong> participants.NESTING SURVEY AND MONITORINGSelecti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>coast</strong>al districtsBased <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> Survey <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> India topo sheets, four major shore types were identified al<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>Gujarat</strong> <strong>coast</strong>,which were pure sandy beaches, rocky shore with sandy patches, pure marshy shores, and marshy shorewith sandy patches. Based <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> 2000-01 <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g> nesting survey it was found that <strong>on</strong>ly 520 km <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>coast</strong>was suitable for nesting (Sunderraj et al., 2002). Though <strong>the</strong> state has <strong>the</strong> l<strong>on</strong>gest <strong>coast</strong>line <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> countrywith 13 <strong>coast</strong>al districts, five districts – namely Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Anand, Bharuch and Surat –did not have suitable nesting habitats. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> remaining seven districts formed 82.06% <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> <strong>coast</strong>line, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>which <strong>on</strong>ly Kachchh, Jamnagar, Porbandhar and Junagadh had significant nesting, while Amreli,Bhavnagar and Surat <strong>coast</strong>s had very low nesting density (Table 2.2). Thus, <strong>on</strong>ly Jamnagar, Porbandharand Junagadh were selected for intensive m<strong>on</strong>itoring in this study.Field surveyIn <strong>Gujarat</strong>, <strong>the</strong> nestin g <str<strong>on</strong>g>sea</str<strong>on</strong>g>s<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> olive ridley begins in June and ends in early November, while green<str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g>s nest between July and January (Bhaskar, 1984). However, since <strong>the</strong> hatchery programme <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong><strong>Gujarat</strong> State Forest Department at Madhavpur village <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Porbandhar district in 2002 showed sporadicnesting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> both olive ridley and green <str<strong>on</strong>g>turtle</str<strong>on</strong>g>s till March, it was decided to carry out nest m<strong>on</strong>itoring for<strong>on</strong>e full year covering all <strong>the</strong> m<strong>on</strong>ths. M<strong>on</strong>itoring <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nesting was carried out using <strong>the</strong> following methods:1. Intensive m<strong>on</strong>itoring <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> index beaches by <strong>the</strong> project pers<strong>on</strong>nel2. Co-ordinati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nesting surveys and hatchery programmes by <strong>the</strong> state forest department3. Involvement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a few interested individuals from NGOs in index beach m<strong>on</strong>itoring.Towards Integrated and Collaborative Sea Turtle C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> in India – a UNEP/CMS-IOSEA Project 22