Leatherback Sea Turtle-Sanskriti IAS

conservationists due to the development of increased tourism and ports in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have expressed concerns regarding the habitat of leatherback sea turtles. In India, these turtles are found only in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands . In addition to the Indian Ocean they are also found in Sri Lanka and Indonesia region.
Leatherback Turtle is the largest of 7 species of sea turtles. Its scientific name is Dermochelys Coriacea . Its upper shell is made of leather. They are found in all oceans except Arctic and Antarctic .
in India, Sea turtles are protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 . In the IUCN Red List, they are placed in the critically endangered category. The leatherback sea turtle keeps the jellyfish under control due to the number of freshwater fish in the sea, but they are rapidly dying due to increasing plastic waste in the marine area.
In 'National Sea Tortoise Action Plan' has been released by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change , Andaman and Nicobar has been selected as the main site for this. The objective of this action plan is to provide protection to sea turtles and their habitat.

Leatherback Sea Turtle