Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra has implemented the ‘Marine turtle Conservation through Community participation’ program along the western coast of Maharashtra, India since 2002. Conservation is primarily through the ex-situ method of hatchery management. Female marine turtles visit beaches in the project area to lay their eggs in the period from October-February. Since egg poaching is a major threat for these turtle nests, the NGO has appointed a local volunteer in each potential village to relocate the eggs to a hatchery. The hatchery is a fenced enclosure on the same beach where artificial nests with similar environmental conditions are dug up before placing the eggs inside. When turtle hatchlings emerge out from the hatchery nest, they are released near the sea.

The project village records the highest number of turtle nests every year across the 720 km coastline protected by the NGO. Local support for turtle conservation has improved following innovative programs like the Turtle Festival where tourists visit the village beach to witness turtle hatchlings crawl towards the sea. Villagers provide the tourists lodging and food facilities and thus receive economic benefits in return for protecting marine turtles. Local support for the program has added to the sustainability prospects of the conservation initiative.

• Transformed the mindset of turtle poachers and smugglers from 22 villages and turned them into a conservationist.
• Pioneer "Turtle festival" to establish successful sustainable eco-tourism for the livelihood of the local community.
• 75309 turtle hatchling was released into the sea during 2002-2014.
• Introduced chapter in English textbook of 9th standard on Olive ridley turtle in school curriculum reaching 1.6 million students every year in Maharashtra.
• Surveyed 720 km coastal region of Maharashtra for the Presence of the turtles for laying eggs.
• The local community had started conservation activity by themselves and the organisation had established a susatainable conservation practice through community alternate sustainable livelihood. 
• Turtle conservation practice is one of the world's best successful practices established by the organization.