The Association for Biodiversity Conservation & Research (ABC) in association with NSS Units, Fakir Mohan University(FMU) organized a beach cleaning programme here.

As many as 70 volunteers from of ABC and FMU along with wildlife activists and other stakeholders participated in the programme for four hours cleaning the beach of Chandipur and Balaramgadi of garbage.

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“It is an effort to facilitate the nesting of marine organism like Horseshoe crab, turtle and associated marine organism having eco-logical importance in Chandipur beach and nearby estuaries. The drive would boost to ecotourism in the region,” said a Marine biologist and Conservationist at Association for Biodiversity conservation and Research (ABC), Sidharth Pati, Balasore who is also coordinating the programme on the conservation of the India Horseshoe crab supported by the Rufford Foundation, UK.

“Indeed, we live in the vicinity of a Living Fossil,” he said. The head of Environmental science Fakir Mohan University, Suryendu Kumar Dey, taking a lead role in inspiring the team mentioned the participants about the importance of the valuable marine creature and their role to maintain marine ecosystem.

Reader in Zoology at Siddheswar College, Gobinda Chandra Biswal, pointed out that the breeding of Horseshoe crab and Sea turtle was hindered by the piles of garbage, plastics, nets on the beach a, human-caused rampant pollution and mechanized boats.