KARACHI, May 11: The Sindh wildlife department has a Rs4 million scheme for research, preservation and conservation of marine turtles.

There are seven species of turtle found in the world. Of these, two green turtles (Chelonia Mydas) and Oliver Redley (Lepido Chely Olirecea) have made the beaches of Hawkesbay and Sandspit their home.

The Sindh Wildlife Management Board has adopted various measures for preservation of marine turtles these beaches.

Under the plan the Board is responsible for protecting marine turtles from poaches, harassment and destruction, and for preserving adult turtles, besides collecting their eggs, hatching in protected enclosures and then safe release in the sea.

The department has already constructed four enclosures (turtle nurseries) at Hawkesbay and Sandspit, and buried 9,76,126 eggs and released 2,70,132 hatchlings to the sea besides tagging 991 female turtles in order to study their migration pattern.

On an average, about 30,000 hatchlings are safely released to the sea every year. The scheme envisages education of the masses about the importance of this neglected species through the media.—PPI