World Turtle Day | UPSC

MORE ABOUT KURMA MOBILE APP :

• This special turtle-tracking app will help in accurately identifying species and help in reporting turtle sightings, apart from enlisting the help of experts and local help centres.
• India has a rich turtle biodiversity.

• Only a few conservationists across the country work on turtle conservation, to make matters worse.

INVOLVING CITIZENS:

• A group of leading conservation agencies have come together to launch the citizen-science initiative, named the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN).
• This provides a platform for the exchange of vital information on turtles, promises to engage the general public in ground data collection and provide assistance to enforcement agencies / forest departments.
• Thus, ITCAN can lead to potential conservation success stories through its tool, the Kurma app.
• ITCAN will also help in observing 2020 as the year of the turtle, celebrated across the world by conservation agencies and zoos interested in turtle conservation.

•  The power of the internet and technology has to be realised as several people now have access to smart phones.
• “If somewhere a black softshell turtle is sold, someone can circulate this information in the app. This will help us in informing enforcement agencies,”

CONSERVATION IN TIMES OF COVID-19

• Volunteers and coordinators will be deputed for rescue and identification in each state.
• Forest departments need more eyes and ears; 17 out of 29 freshwater turtle and tortoise species were endangered.
• “The app, which is free, will contain a lot of valuable information.
• Freshwater turtles were gradually becoming neglected as marine turtles got more attention.

CHALLENGES :

• There was more work done on marine turtles than freshwater turtles across the world.

• “The app will help in understanding the distribution of various turtle species across the country,” .
• The idea was to involve more people as conservationists cannot just work with enforcement agencies.