Greenpeace also presented the Chief Minister a copy of the 'I
Witness' Report, which presents the principle findings of
monitoring, research and documentation carried out by Greenpeace in
the Devi region, Orissa. The report provides a chilling reminder of
the urgency of the issue, as the endangered Olive Ridleys are being
pushed further towards extinction. 2006 is the United Nations Year
of the Turtle, yet ironically, bearing witness over this season,
Greenpeace has documented over two thousand dead turtles along the
coast from Ramchandi to the Jatadhar river mouth. The vast majority
of these deaths are caused by illegal fishing, particularly
trawling, in no-trawling zones.
"It's time the Chief Minister woke up to the urgency of the
situation. He can no longer evade his responsibility for the annual
turtle genocide in Orissa," said Ashish Fernandes, Oceans
Campaigner, Greenpeace India, "The evidence is before us - the
state's failure to protect this endangered species could well
result in the total collapse of the turtle population. He needs to
take action, and do so now!"
Earlier, on 3rd April, Greenpeace had confronted the Chief
Wildlife Warden of Orissa, demanding answers to critical questions.
At the end of the three-hour protest in Bhubaneswar, the Chief
Wildlife Warden's only response was to claim that his department
was handicapped by the lack of adequate support (financial
resources and manpower) from the state government and that his
department did not have the expertise to manage the marine
ecosystem.
"The buck clearly stops here. As Chief Minister, and one who
also holds the forest portfolio personally, the responsibility to
defend the turtles rests squarely on Naveen Patnaik's shoulders,"
said Bidhan Chandra Singh, one of the activists present at today's
protest, "If he cannot undertake the many simple activities needed
to protect one of the world's last bastions for the Ridleys, it is
a shameful case of incompetence."
Greenpeace is demanding that the Chief Minister of Orissa take
concrete action to prevent turtle mortality in the next nesting
season, and make public his plans for the implementation of the
directives of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme
Court.
The Orissa turtle campaign is part of the global Greenpeace
Campaign, Defending our Oceans. The Greenpeace vessel MV Esperanza
is undertaking a worldwide expedition to communicate the crises
facing the seas and oceans. Currently, the Esperanza is at Las
Palmas, Canary islands, exposing and confronting pirate fishers and
is scheduled to visit India in July 2006.
For further information:
Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India:
+919937822879
Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer, Greenpeace India: +91 98108
50092 