News: Union Environment Minister has hailed the KURMA mobile application as a unique tool for tracking and reporting Indian turtles.
Facts:
- KURMA App: It is aimed at turtle conservation by providing users a database to identify a species but also provides the location of the nearest rescue centre for turtles across the country.
- Developed by: The application has been developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network(ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
Additional Facts:
- Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN): It is a citizen science initiative launched to provide a platform for the exchange of information on turtles and to provide assistance to enforcement agencies / forest departments.
- Turtle Survival Alliance(TSA): It was formed in 2001 as an International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) partnership for sustainable captive management of freshwater turtles and tortoises.
