COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Apr 20 (IPS) – Every winter thousands of sea turtles flock to the coast of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh’s Bay of Bengal to lay eggs.
Their path to their breeding grounds is dangerous – fishing nets, propellers, light pollution, coastal development, stray dogs and other threats militate against their success.
The region is rich in biodiversity, with five of the seven ancient reptiles present in the waters of Bangladesh, three of which – the olive ridley (Lepidochiles olivacea), green turtle (chelonia mydas), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) – coming to the shore to build a nest.
Amidst such adverse conditions for aquatic creatures, a group of youths volunteer to protect turtles on the beach in Cox’s Bazar during the breeding season from November to March, and contribute to their successful conservation.
“In the past, we did not know how sea turtles help preserve marine ecosystems. Now we know that sea turtles play an important role in preserving biodiversity,” Rezaul Karim, a resident of Shafir Beel village in Cox’s Bazar, told the Inter Press Service (IPS).
Karim is one of the youth trained for sea turtle conservation under a project run by Arnayak FoundationA non-profit conservation organization in Bangladesh. The Foundation established a sea turtle conservation group consisting of 25 local youth (11 women, 14 men) under its Ecosystem Awareness and Restoration through Harmony (EARTH) project. EARTH is supported by the Department of Forest, Department of Environment (DoE), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with funding from Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The group is working to raise awareness about sea turtle conservation among fishermen, youth and the local community. They also aim to encourage change in local attitudes by involving community members.
Group leader Delwar Hussain, a resident of Sonarpara village under Ukhia upazila, said sea turtles play an important role in maintaining marine ecosystems, as different species of sea turtles help clean or clean the ocean by managing different food sources and habitats.
He said there is a superstition among sea fishermen that if turtles get entangled in their fishing gear, it will bring bad luck and that is why they kill turtles caught in their nets.
“We held several meetings with fishermen and made them aware about sea turtle conservation,” Delvar said.
Gabriella Richardson Tem, Head of the Small Grants Program at TThat gef, says, civil society, indigenous peoples, local communities, and youth and women’s groups around the world “play a vital role in shaping the global development agenda. They provide transformative solutions to global environmental problems, bring rights holders and marginalized voices into national policy dialogues, and elevate local priorities in international environmental negotiations and financing.”
Indigenous peoples, local communities and youth and women’s groups around the world play a vital role in shaping the global development agenda.
The Small Grants Program has served as a cornerstone of civil society engagement within the GEF partnership since its inception in 1992.
“Over three decades, the program has demonstrated remarkable reach and impact, administering more than US$1.5 billion through nearly 30,000 grants to indigenous people, local communities, women and youth in 136 countries. This broad network has successfully secured US$990 million in co-financing, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in mobilizing additional resources for grassroots environmental action,” says Tame.
Grassroots community conservation has been acknowledged as contributing to the success of relocating one of the sea turtles – green turtle – To the International Union for Opposition
Nature’s Origin (IUCN) ‘Least Concern’ list. Other factors include international trade restrictions, reduction in poaching, and improvements in fishing gear.
However, this species mainly nests on Cox’s Bazar beaches olive ridley Has been classified as ‘unsafe’But IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesWhile the hawksbill turtle remains ‘critically endangered’ due to population decline.
Establishment of Turtle Hatchery
In Cox’s Bazar, with the help of the Foundation, the youth group surveyed a 10 km stretch from Reju Khal to Ballia Empty Beach to identify sea turtle nesting sites. It also gathered insights from local communities on sea turtle breeding season, nesting frequency, preferred locations, and community perceptions regarding conservation.
Following assessment, a sea turtle hatch was established in Boro Inani, Cox’s Bazar. As these data show, hatcheries now play an important conservation role.
Between January and April 2024, 5,878 olive ridley eggs were collected from various nests on Swankhali, Rupati, Imamr Deal and Madarbuniya beaches, resulting in 3,586 hatchings, with an average hatching success of 61 percent.
Additionally, from February to April 2025, a total of 3,199 eggs were collected, and by May 2025, 716 hatchlings were released.
Delver said stray dogs often eat turtle eggs so the hatchery makes an important contribution.
“We collect the eggs left by the turtles on the shore and bring them to the hatchery to hatch. Also, we ask people in the community to donate turtle eggs to the hatchery. We, the group members, collect turtle eggs from them too.”
Nurul Afsar, another TCG member, said that many of the ethnic communities living in Cox’s Bazar consume turtles and their eggs – so the group plays a role in encouraging them not to consume them, but to protect them.
ABM Sarovar Alam, IUCN program manager (species and habitats) in Bangladesh, said the Cox’s Bazar beach was once an ideal breeding ground for sea turtles, but this has diminished due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance.
They believe that several areas of the coastline should be declared “protected areas for sea turtles” to ensure safe breeding and that fishing should be restricted in the canals connecting to the sea so that the turtles can move freely to nest.
The group also addresses other threats, such as the issue of stray dogs that kill turtles and eat eggs.
Firoz Al Amin, range officer of Inani Forest Range in Ukhia, said the forest department is working to control stray dogs on the beach with the aim of protecting the turtles.
Earth Project, more than turtle conservation
Dr. Mohammad Muzammal Haq, national coordinator of the GEF Small Grants Program at UNDP Bangladesh, said the role of the Prithvi project goes beyond tortoise conservation in the region.
It has elephant-response teams to reduce conflict between elephants and humans. Five Crab Conservation Groups (CCGs), consisting of 25 youth members, and five Sea Turtle Conservation Groups (TCGs), also consisting of 25 youth members, remain active. The project was also working towards restoring habitats, with the support of the Earth Project planting more than 7,780 plants, of which about 80% survived.
However, Hoke said success is dependent on funding – and hopes that once the Forest Trail is operational, it can generate revenue from tourists.
Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal, program coordinator for the Arnayak Foundation, said the project, by integrating livelihoods with conservation, “helped increase a sense of ownership among community members and youth, ensuring that environmental conservation is not just the outcome of a project but an ongoing, collective commitment.”
Note: The Eighth Global Environment Facility Assembly Will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from May 30 to June 6, 2026.
This feature is published with the support of GEF. IPS is solely responsible for the editorial content, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the GEF.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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