ABSTRACT
In 1992, an article in the Hindu newspaper inspired a remarkable community conservation effort in Iringal village in Kerala, India. The newspaper carried a story on the Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea); it explained that although globally endangered, the turtle was still a regular visitor to the village’s local beach. When some of the young people in the village realized that the turtle nesting sites were so special and in need of protection they formed a small committee and started to learn about the turtle’s lifestyle and, as a consequence, the benefits of the coastal ecosystem as a whole. Today an 8km seashore community-conserved area stretches along the common land of the village. Conservation activities are focused on the turtle nesting season and mangrove restoration.
