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Sri Lanka Navy Journal 59

Figure 2 : Navy’s passion for turtle conservation pays rich dividends

Source : Sri Lanka Navy (2020)

Orange turtles, leatherbacks, olive ridleys, hawksbills, and loggerheads
are among the seven sea turtle species that nest on Sri Lankan beaches (Der-
aniyagala, 1953). Sea turtles use the South and Southeast coasts, which have
large fields of sea grass beds and coral reefs, as valuable breeding and forag-
ing sites (Deraniyagala, 1939; Amarasooriya, 2000). In 1994, the turtle Con-
servation Project (TCP) conducted a survey that found 112 shops publicly
selling tortoiseshell items made from hawksbill shell in six towns in tradition-
al tourist areas ( Kapurusinghe, 2006). A second study, conducted in 1996,
discovered 83 shops selling tortoiseshell in 14 cities (Richardson, 1997).
However, according to a new poll, the majority of these stores no longer pur-
chase tortoiseshell goods from retailers, despite the fact that a few stores do
sell some of the previously stocked unsold stocks (Rajakaruna et al., 2013).

According to a research study done on Sea turtle conservation in Sri Lan-
ka: assessment of knowledge, attitude and prevalence of consumptive use of
turtle products among coastal communities, the research was carried out in six
villages along Sri Lanka's North Western, Western, Southwestern, and Southern
coasts to determine villagers' knowledge of sea turtles, attitudes toward sea turtle
conservation, and the prevalence of consumptive use (Rajakaruna et al, 2009).

Six coastal villages in four districts of Sri Lanka, Kandakuliya, Mattak-
kuliya, Wedikanda, Kahandamodara, Kosgoda, and Rekawa, were chosen based
on nesting frequency and turtle bycatch data. Long-term turtle awareness pro-
grams are being carried out in and around these high nesting villages by nongov-
ernmental organizations such as TCP in coordination with Sri Lanka's Depart-
ment of Wildlife (DWL).TCP organizes turtle awareness in kandakuliya. Each
village had one hundred randomly chosen villagers interviewed, and the data
was gathered over a four-month period from May to August. they were mainly
questioned in regarding the knowledge about sea turtles, attitude towards sea