Why in news?

 Karnataka Biodiversity Board proposed the conservation of the sea turtle nesting ground in the Honnavar and Shavarathi estuary as the new port development works threaten the vulnerable area.

Highlights:

• Entire shoreline between Karwar and Honnavar was vulnerable and needs to be protected because of rich marine life
• Apart from the Olive Ridley turtles that come here for nesting, several schedule 1 species have been recorded by the Forest Department

Negative impact  of port development activity

• The commercial activities, the arrival, anchorage and docking of ships in the port will definitely have a negative impact on the marine life in the area.
• There is also the problem of oil leakage that is unavoidable.
• Building of road to the proposed port in Honnavar is another reason for threat

the geological reason against this development of project

• The port is coming up on a sandbar subjected to high erosion.
• Legislature, had documented that  since 1992 , parts of Mallukuruva village and Pavinakuruva village have been washed away into the sea.
• Historical records show that this erosion and accretion have been observed regularly.
• Over two hundred years ago, the British also tried to build infrastructure to make Honnavar the capital of the then-Canara district stretching from Karwar to Kasargod. However, they noticed the fast erosion and declared it unviable
• The marine life, which has adjusted with the phenomenon for centuries, will pay the price for a port which is not sustainable

Measures taken:

• The Board recognised the importance of the two sites considering the threat faced by nesting grounds across the country.
• The Forest Department has set up a 1,000-acre marine park at Mugali, south of the proposed port.

Karnataka Biodiversity Board

• Parent Organization : Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment.
• established as per the Section(22) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Chairman: Sri. N.M. Ravi Kalappa
• Prime objective : To foster the institutional setup for documentation, sustainable use and development of the rich Biodiversity of the State
• The effective implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and facilitate the formation of local level Biodiversity Management Committees and Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
• It provides scope for preparation of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) in consultation with the local people.