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Great Nicobar Island: Galathea Bay sees record turtle nesting, contradicting NGT stance

Scroll | March 30, 2026 1:40 PM CST

Photographs and reports from Great Nicobar Island last month suggest that sea turtles, including the Giant Leatherback, have nested on the beaches of Galathea Bay in record numbers this season.

This is particularly significant given the February 16 order of the National Green Tribunal dismissing challenges to the construction of a mega-infrastructure project on the island and asserting that no part of the project site is a CRZ-1A area.

CRZ-1A is a category of coastal land that has maximum protection under law on account of its ecological importance – determined by the presence of marine turtle nesting beaches, ground nesting birds, mangroves and coral reefs, among others. Major development projects are explicitly not allowed in such areas.

The photographs show two turtle hatcheries at Galathea Bay with sticks and boards giving basic details such as date of nesting, the species of the turtle and the number of eggs collected. The most recent nesting record visible in the photograph is of February 13 with one each for two species of turtles – a Leatherback turtle and an Olive Ridley.

The most recent nesting record visible in the photograph is of February 13 with one each for two species of turtles – serial number 899 of a Leatherback turtle...