ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bio-diversity comprises of all the species of animals, plants or systems that we see around us. It gives us an idea about the health of our ecosystem. Most living organisms can survive on their own if they are not disturbed by human activity. Sea Turtle are facing various anthropogenic threats and there is a need to conserve them. As per the IUCN red list of threatened species, six out of the seven species of sea turtles are endangered/critically endangered. This study focuses on the coastal region of Odisha. More than 800,000 females are seen nesting on the coast of Odisha. The most important nesting sites in Odisha are Gahimartha, Devi river mouth and Rushikulya. Since there is a room for a lot of improvement at the Rushikulya river mouth, this would be our chosen study site. The objective of this paper is to conduct an opportunity cost analysis and find the opportunity cost for the conservation of Olive Ridley Sea turtles at the Rushikulya Rookery of Odisha. The threats and the stakeholders relevant to the chosen study site were identified on the basis of a literature review and a primary field survey. The opportunity cost was calculated on the basis of the data that was collected regarding the loss in income due to conservation measures. Total opportunity cost for the conservation of sea turtles in the Rushikulya rookery came out to be Rs. 187 crores. The WTP for sea turtle conservation is positive and significant. If this is the case, then we know that we can rely on public’s contribution to fund our conservation costs. Policy measures such as a tax/surcharge can be imposed on the tourists who are visiting the nearby areas. Import duty can be imposed on the shrimp importing countries to cover the opportunity costs faced by the fishermen.
Key words: Turtle, Odisha, WTP
