The slow and wise up against the plastic vice

Imagine being a species so old as to be called a ‘living fossil’, which has outlived dinosaurs only to be imperiled in anthropocene because of plastic and beautified stone-pitched water bodies. The species under discussion here is the turtle, which is among the most endangered vertebrates. But, why should we worry about these toothless reptiles which we rarely encounter in our day-to-day lives? Who has the time to think about the turtles when we already have problems as huge as climate change and water crisis to solve? But, what if the turtles are a part of the solution to these problems? Yes, as rare as these magnificent chelonians are, the turtles can help us in saving our wonderful planet.

To understand their role in resolving the water crisis, let us imagine a world without vultures. Smelly, dirty and sick with unknown diseases. This is what will happen to our aquatic ecosystems if turtles go extinct. That’s because like vultures, freshwater turtles act as scavengers of water bodies and keep these clean and free of diseases by feeding on the dead and decaying organic matter. In addition to dead fish and other invertebrates, turtles also feed on algae and aquatic vegetation whose excessive growth in water bodies can choke these due to lack of oxygen.

Recognising the importance of freshwater turtles as scavengers, they were employed under the Ganga Action Plan in the 1980s. About 40,000 turtles were released into the river to address the issue of decomposing human remains in its water.

The ecological importance of turtles has been rightly acknowledged in Hindu mythology, where Lord Vishnu is believed to have been incarnated as ‘Kurmha’, the Turtle God. And, it is no surprise that the ‘Land of Gods’, Himachal Pradesh, home to about 17 freshwater turtle species, has pristine and clean aquatic ecosystems. Renuka Lake, one of the three Ramsar wetlands of the state and an important pilgrimage site of Hindus, exemplifies the reciprocal relationship between the turtles and their ecosystem. Despite receiving a significant organic load from the offerings of lakhs of pilgrims, particularly during the week of the annual fair, the lake’s water remains substantially clean. This resilience of the lake ecosystem can be attributed to the rich diversity of turtles, which help to break down and recycle these nutrients and maintain the ecological balance. In turn, the turtles benefit from the healthy and protected ecosystem of the lake, thanks to the diligent protection and regular monitoring efforts by the Forest Department.

As the world faces the challenges of global warming, the importance of turtles and their role in balancing the wetland ecosystems cannot be overstated. Healthy wetlands can help mitigate the effects of global warming as these are carbon sinks and aid in absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. Additionally, wetlands act as sponge by absorbing and holding excess water while acting as the source of water during water scarcity. This function of wetlands is going to be extremely important in protecting our ecosystems from natural disasters like floods and droughts. Such extreme climate events are becoming more and more frequent and intense as a consequence of global warming.

Sadly, instead of rewarding the turtles for their services with clean wetlands, we are forcing them to survive in water bodies choked with plastic waste, sewage and washed-off fertilisers. Turtles ingest plastic by mistaking it for food and, are consequently, dying of blockage. It seems unlikely that the turtles can reproduce fast enough to compensate for such deaths, thanks to the ‘beautified’ stone-pitched water bodies where we have left no place for them to lay eggs. From fatal traffic to predation by feral animals, the breeding females face numerous perils while traversing these concretised banks and roads. The poor hatchlings have a snowball’s chance in hell of reaching back alive after crossing these paved hardscapes.

Turtles are able to deceive natural predators like monitor lizards by laying eggs in one of the 10 holes they dig. Unfortunately, they are not able to protect their eggs and hatchlings from the increasing presence of feral dogs and cats, ironically fed by humans. Eggs and hatchlings are even more vulnerable to predation in the human modified habitats.

Though it seems like we humans are their enemies, we can actually be the greatest allies of turtles. All we have to do is reduce the use of what is harmful, even to our own existence — plastic and fertilisers. And control the population of feral dogs and cats, which threaten not only turtles but our ever-so depleting biodiversity at large. Lastly, why keep confining nature within lifeless borders of concrete? Instead, let's trust the untamed wilderness. As we stroll along these embankments, we might just find hope in the sight of little hatchlings making their way back home.

— The writer is Assistant Zoo Biologist with the HP Wildlife Wing at Renukaji Mini Zoo