Dr. S.K. Dutta, Principal Investigator of the Dhamra biodiversity assessment study and Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner address the media in Mumbai. Greenpeace, on behalf of Orissa's endangered turtles, is demanding that Tata Steel live up to its word and drop the Dhamra project.
Releasing the report on World Oceans Day, Dr. Dutta, Principal
Investigator of the study, said, "This finding shatters the theory
that the offshore waters near Dhamra are a no-turtle zone. Even
though this is not a turtle nesting ground, over the course of the
study, we have recorded over 2,000 dead turtles, victims of
mechanised fishing, on the port site and in nearby areas like
Kanika Sands." (2)
"Aside from the turtle aspect, the Dhamra area is intrinsically
rich in biodiversity and deserving of special protection. The area
is very important for horseshoe crabs. We have also made two
exciting discoveries on the port site itself: the rare Crab-eating
Frog is the first record from mainland India, and the White-bellied
mangrove snake has thus far only been reported once on the
mainland, from the Sundarbans", Dr. Dutta added.
The port area is an important breeding and nesting ground for
the King Crab or Horseshoe Crab, a little known species. Over 1,300
individuals were recorded in the study area, trapped in fishing
gear. Further highlighting the ecological significance of the area
is the presence of the Crab-eating Frog, F. cancrivora, which has
only been reported from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and
Southeast Asia until now.
"This is the real test of The Tatas' claim to be environmentally
responsible, a corporate group that would never harm the
environment. Ratan Tata has promised to 'address environmental
concerns (concerning Dhamra) in the best possible manner'. (3) Tata
Steel have repeatedly asserted that there is no scientific evidence
to suggest that the port will harm the turtles and if there was
they would not build the port. It is time for them to walk the
talk. These findings leave them with no option but to withdraw from
the project. It is not possible to 'mitigate' damage later. This
would also be contrary to the precautionary approach that the Tatas
claim to stand by," said Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner with
Greenpeace. (4)
While the project has been cleared by state and central
authorities, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), the basis for
this clearance, has recently been exposed by Greenpeace scientists,
as being fundamentally flawed and completely inadequate to gauge
the project's ecological impacts (5). The Tatas have yet to respond
to this scientific critique.
"We are calling upon the Tatas to withdraw from the project in
the light of this new evidence. There is absolutely no way they can
build the Dhamra port while simultaneously claiming to respect the
environment. For a group that prides themselves on their 'legacy',
the question they need to answer is, what kind of environmental
legacy will they leave behind if the Dhamra port is built?" asked
G. Ananthapadmanabhan, Executive Director of Greenpeace.
For further information, contact
Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner +91 99801 99380,
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace Communications +91 93438 62212 
G. Ananthapadmanabhan, Executive Director, Greenpeace +91 98455 35410
Notes to Editor
(1) Dr. S.K. Dutta is a member of the IUCN’s Amphibian Specialist Group and Captive Breeding Specialist Group and is also the Head of the Department of Zoology at the North Orissa University.
(2) In addition to these current findings, a satellite telemetry study, done by the Wildlife Institute of India in 2001, showed turtle movement near the port site. A Greenpeace team also recorded mating turtles in the waters north of Kanika Sands, off the port site, in February 2006.
(3) Letter to Greenpeace, December 2004.
(4) As a member of the United Nations Global Compact, Tata Steel has endorsed Principle 7, the Precautionary Approach to environmental challenges. http://www.globalcompact.org/AboutTheGC/TheTenPrinciples/principle7.html
(5) The Greenpeace critique of the 1997 Dhamra Port EIA can be found at www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/critique-of-the-environmental