From Protecting Nests to Empowering a Community: The Story of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra

In 2002, an activist of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) observed unusual shallow pits in the sand at Velas Beach, along with scattered white eggshell fragments. No one was certain what they were, but they sparked a question that would ultimately transform marine turtle conservation along India's western coastline.

A few days later, we travelled to Velas on two scooters. The journey from Chiplun was over 110 kilometres on rough roads, but our excitement outweighed the discomfort. We searched the beach, examined the mysterious pits, dug carefully where we thought nests might exist, and spoke with local residents. Nobody seemed to know much, or perhaps they simply did not want to talk.

Eventually, after many conversations, we found a man who admitted he had been collecting turtle eggs. When he showed us the eggs, we finally had our answer.

Marine turtles were still nesting on this beach.

Finding the nests, however, was only the beginning.

The Search for the First Turtle

At that time, Velas Beach was under night-time police restrictions, meaning no one was allowed to enter after dark. Since Olive Ridley turtles come ashore only at night, we needed special permission just to observe them. The police agreed, but with strict conditions—we could patrol only until 2 a.m.

Every weekend after finishing our office work, we left Chiplun in the evening, rode through the night to Velas, and began searching the beach under moonlight. We walked kilometre after kilometre, looking for fresh turtle tracks. At dawn, we slept for a few hours on the sand before spending the morning speaking with villagers and raising awareness. By evening, we rode back to Chiplun and reported to work the next day.

We thought it might take a week or two.

Instead, it took thirty-one consecutive nights before we finally saw our first nesting turtle.

That single moment made every sleepless night worthwhile.

Finding a Local Guardian

We soon realised that protecting turtles for one weekend every week would never be enough. The beaches needed someone who lived there—someone who could patrol every morning throughout the nesting season. Finding that person proved surprisingly difficult. We met village leaders, respected elders and local residents, but no one was willing to take responsibility.

Then, quite unexpectedly, everything changed.

One evening, while standing in the village's only small shop during a power cut, someone quietly called out, "Are you Bhau Katdare?"

It was the village Sarpanch, Mr. Nandkumar Patil.

That chance meeting became the turning point in our journey.

Patil believed in the idea from the very beginning. With his support, we found Bhai Sawant, a local resident who became the first dedicated turtle protector in Velas. Every morning during the nesting season, he walked the beach before sunrise, searching for fresh nests. Eggs laid in vulnerable locations were carefully relocated to protected hatcheries built on the same beach, where they could safely incubate until hatching.

Back then, conservation knowledge was not easily available. There was no internet to guide us. We relied on books, scientific publications, advice from researchers, and constant learning through experience. Every season taught us something new.

After nearly two months, the moment we had been waiting for finally arrived.

One evening, the sand above a protected nest began to move.

Tiny hatchlings slowly emerged from beneath the sand and instinctively crawled toward the Arabian Sea.

Watching dozens of baby turtles safely reach the water for the first time remains one of the most unforgettable moments in our conservation journey.

During that first season, Velas protected 50 nests and successfully released 2,734 hatchlings into the sea.

From Egg Collectors to Turtle Protectors

The numbers were encouraging, but the greatest success was something we could not count.

People began to change.

Older villagers told us they had collected turtle eggs since childhood, yet they had never witnessed hatchlings emerging from the sand. For the first time, they understood what had been hidden beneath their own beach for generations.

News of the project spread quickly. More villages wanted to participate. Within a few years, the initiative expanded from one village to several, and eventually across much of Maharashtra's 720-kilometre coastline.

One of the most important decisions we made was to involve local people directly in conservation. Many of those who knew turtle nesting sites best were the very people who had once collected eggs. Instead of treating them as part of the problem, we invited them to become part of the solution. They received training, learned about the ecological importance and legal protection of marine turtles, and were employed as seasonal nest protectors.

The Birth of the Velas Turtle Festival

Former egg collectors became conservation guardians.

A network of dedicated local "Turtle Friends" gradually emerged along the coast, proving that lasting conservation begins with trust rather than conflict.

In 2006, we decided to invite a small group of supporters to witness hatchlings being released. We expected perhaps thirty visitors.

Instead, 156 people arrived.

Velas had no hotels, very few facilities, and almost no experience hosting tourists. Families opened their homes, neighbours shared their courtyards, and everyone worked together to accommodate the unexpected guests.

The next morning, as visitors gathered around the hatchery, we held our breath.

Would the hatchlings emerge?

Then the volunteer removed the basket.

When the basket was lifted, tiny hatchlings appeared beneath it.

Applause erupted across the beach. Many visitors were seeing hatchlings for the very first time. Despite the simple arrangements and crowded accommodation, everyone left inspired.

That first gathering became the beginning of the Velas Turtle Festival.

When Conservation Changes a Community

Over the years, the festival evolved into much more than a wildlife event. It became a model of community-based conservation and sustainable rural tourism. Local families developed homestays, women prepared traditional meals, young people became nature guides, and the village realised something profound:

The turtles were not simply visitors.

They had become partners in the village's future.

As livelihoods became linked with conservation, attitudes changed permanently. Protecting nests was no longer just an environmental activity—it became a shared community responsibility.

For Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, success was never measured by how long we managed the project ourselves. It was measured by whether the community could continue without us.

A Model That Lives On

By 2014, the model we had developed in Velas had grown into a conservation network spanning Maharashtra's coastline. We then handed the programme over to the Maharashtra Forest Department. Since then, the Forest Department, Mangrove Cell, Mangrove Foundation, local communities and volunteers have carried the work forward, building on the foundation laid by the programme and introducing further improvements.

Looking back, it is remarkable that everything began with a few mysterious pits in the sand and our curiosity.

Looking ahead, we hope future generations inherit not only healthier beaches and thriving turtle populations, but also the belief that conservation succeeds when people become its custodians.

Every nesting season, a mother turtle returns to the shore after years at sea, guided by instincts we still do not fully understand.

When she crawls ashore onto a protected beach, she reminds us that hope, like conservation itself, is built one journey, one nest and one community at a time.

As we celebrate 25 years of the IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU, we showcase some of the people, initiatives and communities that have contributed to marine turtle conservation across the region. Visit our Story Map to discover their stories.