Giant Leatherback Turtle

• 17 Feb 2021

• The proposed tourism and port development projects in the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands may threaten some of the most important nesting populations of the “Giant Leatherback Turtle.
• They are largest of the seven species of sea turtles on the planet and also the most long-ranging Leatherbacks are found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
• Within the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Conservation Status (IUCN): Vulnerable
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, India: Schedule I (Highest Legal Protection)