Dhamra Port Status Report May 2009 IUCN and Port Status Report May, 2009

Background (www.dhamraport.com) is being developed

Orrissa by the Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL), which is

Dhamra a 50:50 Joint Venture between Ltd and Port engineering and construction firm, Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The Port is located north of the mouth of river Dhamra, in the district in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

The development of the port has raised concern among environmental groups, as it is located about 15 km north of Gahirmatha, a key mass nesting site of the Olive Ridley turtles, listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. There has been significant opposition from some environmental groups, who hold that construction of the port would severely impact the habitat and endanger the existence of the Olive Ridleys. does, of course, have a well- established legal system and decisions on the temporary stopping or permanent termination of the project can be made only by the government, the courts or the company.

IUCN Scoping Mission At the invitation of Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata

New Group, IUCN undertook a Scoping Mission in November- Port December 2006 to develop a better understanding of the

Existing Port port project and its implications on the environment in general and on the Olive Ridley turtles in particular.

The mission comprised: 1. Mohammad Rafiq, Head Business and Biodiversity Program, IUCN HQ, Gland, Switzerland 2. T.P. Singh, Program Coordinator, Ecosystems and Gahirmatha Livelihoods, IUCN Asia Regional Office, Bangkok, Thailand 3. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG)

The Scoping Mission highlighted the following key concerns: 1. Artificial lighting and its potential impact on turtle Top map: India with Orissa and Dhamra. Bottom map: Location of existing hatchlings. port, new port and Gahirmatha. Source: Google Earth 2. Potential impacts of dredging on turtles at sea. 3. Broader and area-wide environmental impacts due to the secondary industrial and urban expansions COVER: Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings at associated with the port development. Rushikulya in Orissa, April 2009. All photos © IUCN unless otherwise noted. IUCN-DPCL Agreement Subsequent to the Scoping Mission, in October 2007, IUCN entered into an agreement with DPCL, the main objective of which is to avoid, minimize and mitigate the impacts of Dhamra Port development on turtles. The focus of IUCN’s current engagement is to carry out, After interacting with the port as well as the dredging through a consultative process: company officials in , the team visited the 1. Stakeholder consultation on research needs and site and made the following recommendations: conservation efforts 1. Installation of a deflector on the drag-head to push the 2. Assessment of potential dredging impacts and turtles out of the path of the dredger development of best practices protocols 2. Installation of screens in inflow and overflow pipes 3. Assessment of potential lighting impacts and of the dredger so as to monitor the number of turtle development of best practices protocols entrainments due to dredging 3. An observer programme to detect any such Consultation with IUCN India members entrainments IUCN’s engagement with the project was discussed in 4. Relocation trawling efforts to reduce the number of detail in the meetings of the Indian National Committee for turtles in the vicinity of the dredger IUCN held on August 22, 2007 and on February 5, 2008. While the issue is complex, the majority of the members Dredging Mitigation Efforts contend that development is inevitable and that they would In conformance with the Dredging Mission’s much prefer it to be guided by mitigation efforts backed by recommendations, all dredgers working at Dhamra have sound science that IUCN brings to the table. installed deflectors on all drag-heads and screens on inflow and overflow pipes. DPCL, with advice from IUCN, IUCN Dredging Mission has recruited and trained local youth to act as observers. In December 2007, an IUCN mission visited Dhamra to The training was conducted by IUCN scientists and assess potential impacts due to dredging and to develop DPCL’s dredging and environment experts. approriate mitigation measures. Three observers stay on-board at any point, work in 8-hour The mission comprised: shifts each and check the inflow and overflow screens 1. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival after each load of the dredger. Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) 2. Dena Dickerson, US Army Corps of Engineers & Deflectors, screens and observers – all measures to make MTSG member dredging, “turtle-friendly”. A ‘first’ in the history of dredging 3. Eric Hawk, National Oceanic and Atmospheric activities in India. Administration, USA

Dredging mission team with Dena Dickerson, Eric Hawk, Nicolas Pilcher, Turtle observers Anjani Kant (DGM, DPCL) and Biren Bhuta (project manager, IUCN) ‘Antigoon’

The drag-head

Inflow screens

Overflow screens The hopper Deflector fabrication under IUCN supervision Observers in overalls entering into the pipes

DPCL has also applied for permits from the Orissa State Lighting Mitigation Efforts Government and the Indian Government’s Ministry of Based on the inputs by the expert team, the lighting Environment and Forests to conduct relocation trawling contractors engaged by DPCL namely, L&T and ABB, exercises and other related research. have placed an order on Philips Electronics India Ltd. Philips has designed the lights for the port and has IUCN Lighting Mission suggested some luminaires. The lighting plan as well as In March 2008, an IUCN mission visited Dhamra to assess the individual luminaires have been sent to IUCN’s lighting potential impacts due to lighting and to develop mitigation experts for their approval. Only after it is approved by measures for the same. IUCN, will the lights be manufactured and installed. This will make Dhamra the first port in the country to install The mission comprised: “turtle-friendly” lights. 1. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) Temporary lights being currently used at the construction 2. Blair Witherington, Florida Fish and Wildlife site were completely switched off for one whole week in Conservation Commission, USA & MTSG member May 2009 during the hatchling emergence at Gahirmatha, 3. Erik Martin, Ecological Associates, USA & MTSG so as not to disorient the hatchlings while finding their way member to the sea at night.

After interacting with DPCL officials and its lighting Gaps in Research contractors in Bhubaneswar, the team visited the site and IUCN commissioned a study to compile all past and on- came up with the following set of recommendations: going studies on Orissa’s olive ridley turtles, collate all 1. All lights with full cutoff luminaries existing literature and identify the gaps in research. The 2. All lights of minimum lamp voltage to achieve required study was undertaken by the Wildlife Institute of India, an safety IUCN India member organisation. The study will form the 3. No fluorescent lamps, mercury vapour lamps, metal basis for all future research efforts on the olive ridleys in halide lamps or other high-intensity discharge lamp India. types 4. No lights aimed above the horizon Stakeholders’ Meeting 5. Where possible, use sodium vapour lamps or other IUCN organised a technical consultative workshop in light sources that exclude wavelengths less than 520 February 2009 at Bhubaneswar, with a field visit to the nm port site at Dhamra. The workshop was attended by 70 IUCN Dhamra Port Technical Consultative Workshop in, Bhubaneswar, February 2009. Left to right: Santosh Mohapatra, Meena Gupta, Aban Marker Kabraji, Upendra Nath Behera, B K Patnaik, Priya Nath Padhi, P R Sinha, Dr. Anmol Kumar participants, representing various stake-holder groups – of Lord Vishnu, according to ancient Hindu mythology IUCN member organisations, IUCN commission members, and exhorted audiences to worship turtles and not kill the concerned Government departments, the scientific them. It also coined a slogan “Our turtles, our pride” to community, NGOs, academia, DPCL and its promoters, instil a sense of pride and ownership for Orissa’s olive and most important, the fishermen community. Whilst ridleys. the participants lauded IUCN’s work at Dhamra as a commendable exercise in sustainable development, they 3. Creating awareness among fishermen for “turtle- also gave valuable suggestions that will guide the way friendly” trawling to reduce turtle mortality. IUCN and going forward. DPCL staff conduct regular meetings with fishermen groups to build rapport, understand their issues, All reports i.e. the Scoping, Dredging and Lighting Mission discuss alternate livelihoods and encourage use of reports, the Wildlife Institute of India’s report on the gaps Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in research and the Workshop Proceedings report can be accessed at the IUCN website. Future Plans By July 2009, IUCN will scope the elements for the next Conservation Measures phase of engagement with DPCL, which will commence Apart from mitigation measures, IUCN is also helping from August 1, 2009. These will include: DPCL adopt the following conservation measures: • Continuing mitigation efforts • Continuing and intensifying conservation efforts 1. Generating awareness among school students for the • Supporting relevant State Government agencies to draft need to protect and conserve turtles. IUCN scientists lighting legislations which would be applicable to any and staff have trained local youth, who, in turn, development that takes place not just at Dhamra, but travel to schools in remote areas – on motorbikes; along the entire Orissa coast, where turtles nest. sometimes, on bicycles and at times, even by country • Initiating a few research projects, based on the gaps in boats – and interact with students, spreading the research identified by the Wildlife Institute of India message of turtle conservation. Since August 2008, • Preparing and helping implement a comprehensive more than 9000 students across nearly 50 schools world-class Environment Management Plan for the have been made aware of this fascinating animal construction and operation phases of the port and the imperative need to ensure its survival. An • Setting up a Turtle Trust for a long-term sustainable essay competition further internalised this message in research and conservation programme for the olive impressionable minds. This programme will be further ridley turtles intensified during the new academic session beginning in June 2009. IUCN has received a mandate from its member organisations to engage businesses in conservation 2. Using theatre to spread the message of turtle agendas. IUCN believes that the Dhamra Port project conservation. IUCN conceptualised and convinced will develop valuable standards to guide engagements DPCL to commission a special theatrical production between the private sector and conservation that travelled from one fishing hamlet to another, organizations, and that these will lead to more performing to audiences totalling more than 15,000. environmentally sustainable business practices not just in The play used the imagery of turtle as an incarnation India, but across the world. IUCN and DPCL staff hold regular meetings with the fishing community More than 9,000 students in nearly 50 schools have been made aware of to build rapport, understand issues, discuss alternate livelihoods and the fascinating Olive Ridley and the imperative need to ensure its survival. encourage use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to reduce turtle mortality.

A special theatrical production was commissioed which travelled from one fishing hamlet to another, performing to more than 15,000 people. The play used the imagery of turtle as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, according to ancient Hindu mythology and exhorted audiences to worship turtles and not kill them. It coined the slogan “Our turtles, our pride”. Michael Dougherty IUCN Asia Regional Communications Coordinator

Asia Regional Office 63 Sukhumvit Soi 39 Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel: + 66 2 662 4029 ext. 142 Fax: + 66 2 662 4387 Email: [email protected] www.iucn.org/india/dhamra

International Union for Conservation of Nature