Massive port in India threatens rare turtle nesting ground, activists charge

The construction of a major port in eastern India threatens one of the world's largest mass nesting sites for endangered sea turtles, environmental activists said Saturday as they called for authorities to halt the project immediately.

The massive port, which will be the deepest in India, is less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Gahirmatha, a beach in the state of Orissa where hundreds of thousands of Olive ridley turtles come to make their nests in the sand.

Wildlife experts say there are only a few mass nesting beaches anywhere in the world, and losing the Gahirmatha beach would be catastrophic to the already fragile turtle population.

…