Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network

What Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network does

Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) is a Chennai-based voluntary nonprofit organization founded in 1987 that protects the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle along the urban Chennai coastline. Its core operations are nightly beach patrols during the January–April nesting season across two stretches totaling 13.5 km (6 km Marina Beach north of the Adyar River and 8 km Neelangarai–Besant Nagar south of the river), where volunteers locate nesting turtles, collect eggs, and relocate them to bamboo-fenced hatcheries positioned 15–20 m from the high tide line. Hatchlings are released approximately 45 days later, with jute cloth used from mid-March onward to manage sand temperature. Public engagement occurs through free guided turtle walks on Friday and Saturday nights from 11:30 pm to 4–5 am, hatchling release viewings in March–April, and educational outreach to school and college groups.

The organization operates on a deliberately unfunded, volunteer-driven model: it does not accept funding from agencies or corporations and finances itself through voluntary contributions. Its technology stack is purely operational — patrol protocols, hatchery construction, and temperature management procedures — with no software platform or digital products. Distribution is direct community engagement via email registration through [email protected] and the sstcn.org website. Key partners include the Tamil Nadu Forest Department (joint patrolling under the Japanese government-funded TBGP project since 2013), Chennai Wildlife Division, Tree Foundation, Save a Turtle, Chennai Trekking Club, and Dakshin Foundation. Over 35+ years, SSTCN has contributed to the release of approximately 200,000+ hatchlings and recorded a 50% reduction in turtle mortality through coordinated monitoring. The organization is registered as a trust in Tamil Nadu with V. Arun, Akila Balu, Adhith Swaminathan, and Sanju as trustees, with founder Kartik Shanker having served as president of the International Sea Turtle Society.

Name

Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network

Legal name

Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network

Website

https://sstcn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) is a Chennai-based volunteer nonprofit founded in 1987 that conducts nightly beach patrols, operates bamboo-fenced hatcheries, and runs public turtle walks to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle along 13.5 km of Chennai coastline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Sea Turtle Nesting & Hatchling Tours (regulated night walks) (THAAAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Sea turtle conservation
• Beach patrol services
• Hatchery management
• Wildlife conservation education
• Endangered species protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Voluntary contributions: SSTCN is an unfunded organization that functions entirely on voluntary contributions and does not accept funding from funding agencies or corporations. The organization strongly believes in citizen participation in conservation without financial dependence.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SSTCN is a volunteer-run nonprofit that conserves the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle on Chennai's beaches through nightly patrols, nest relocation to protected bamboo-fenced hatcheries, and public hatchling releases during the January–April nesting season. It also conducts free public turtle walks on Friday and Saturday nights and provides conservation education to participants, students, and educational institutions. The organization operates 13.5 km of monitored coastline and coordinates enforcement with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.

Product overview

The Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) is a voluntary conservation organization that operates a unified set of grassroots conservation services centered on protecting the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle along Chennai's beaches. The organization offers turtle walks for public education, manages hatchling release programs from protected hatcheries, conducts nightly beach monitoring and patrolling with the Forest Department, and delivers conservation awareness education. These services work together as an integrated volunteer-driven conservation effort that has operated since 1987, combining direct species protection with community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Turtle Walks Free guided overnight beach walks conducted Friday and Saturday nights from Neelangarai Beach along a 7 km route to Besant Nagar Beach. Walks begin at approximately 11:30 pm and run until 4–5 am, allowing public participants to observe Olive Ridley turtle nesting and learn about conservation. Conducted jointly with Chennai Wildlife Division staff.
• Hatchling Release Program Public evening hatchling releases during March and April, where hatchlings are released into the sea after emerging from protected bamboo-fenced hatcheries approximately 45 days after egg collection. Viewings are free and open to the public.
• Beach Monitoring and Patrolling Nightly beach patrols conducted January through April along 13.5 km of Chennai coastline (6 km Marina stretch north of Adyar River and 8 km Besant Nagar stretch south of Adyar River) to locate nesting Olive Ridley turtles, collect eggs, and relocate them to protected hatcheries. Patrols are conducted jointly with Forest Department staff.
• Conservation Education and Awareness Educational discussions and awareness activities conducted during turtle walks and hatchling releases to inform the public about endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, environmental conservation issues, and the threats facing marine ecosystems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Turtle mortality reduced by 50%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Indo-German Centre for Sustainability, IIT MadrasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2012Collaborated to conduct a two-day Students' Symposium in September 2012 celebrating 25 years of SSTCN conservation work. Approximately 80 students from 20 colleges attended. Session topics included marine mammals, sea turtle conservation history, and coastal zone management.
• Tree FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner organization in turtle conservation efforts. Tree Foundation provides medical care for injured turtles rescued by SSTCN volunteers, including treatment at their rescue centre in Neelangarai, Chennai.
• Tamil Nadu Forest DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-patrolling beaches with SSTCN since 2013 under TBGP (Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project) funded by Japanese government. Forest Department established hatchery alongside SSTCN hatchery and conducts joint monitoring. Successfully reduced turtle mortality by 50% through coordinated efforts.
• Chennai Wildlife DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts turtle walks jointly with SSTCN on Friday and Saturday nights. Participates in hatchling release activities along Chennai coast.
• Chennai Trekking Club (CTC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed to address loneliness of night turtle walks. CTC members joined SSTCN almost every week night. CTC also organized beach cleanups after Chennai floods to restore nesting-friendly conditions.
• Save a TurtlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on Olive Ridley turtle conservation efforts along Tamil Nadu coast in coordination with Forest Department and other NGOs.
• Dakshin FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdhith Swaminathan, a founding member and trustee of SSTCN, is also affiliated with Dakshin Foundation. He coordinated cetacean study with SSTCN and outreach to educational institutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Olive Ridley Project: International NGO focused on Olive Ridley sea turtle conservation with research, nest protection and bycatch mitigation programs; closest international counterpart sharing the same target species and conservation methods.
• SEE Turtles: US-based nonprofit that supports sea turtle conservation worldwide through volunteer tourism, education and conservation funding; directly comparable tourism-and-education model to SSTCN's public turtle walks.
• Save a Turtle: India-based sea turtle conservation organization coordinating Olive Ridley protection along the Tamil Nadu coast with the Forest Department and other NGOs; comparable volunteer-driven turtle nest protection model.
• Tree Foundation: Chennai-based marine conservation NGO working on sea turtle rescue, mangrove restoration and coastal cleanup; directly partners with SSTCN for injured turtle rehabilitation, operating in the same geography with overlapping Olive Ridley conservation mission.

Others

• Indian Coast Guard (Tamil Nadu Coastal Conservation Initiatives): Government enforcer relevant to the same coastal ecosystem SSTCN protects; not a direct competitor but the regulatory body whose fishing-boat restrictions and coastal protection actions materially shape SSTCN's operating environment.

Emerging players

• Wildlife Institute of India: Government-affiliated Indian institute for wildlife research and training; collaborates on sea turtle research and conservation training programs across India — adjacent but overlapping scientific and policy function.
• Dakshin Foundation: India-based marine and coastal research and conservation organization; comparable to SSTCN's scientific and policy-oriented work, with overlapping leadership (Adhith Swaminathan) and shared cetacean research projects.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy India: Global conservation major with India coastal and marine programs; comparable work in habitat protection and species conservation but operating at a much larger scale and budget.
• Wildlife Conservation Society India: Affiliated with the global WCS, active on marine and coastal wildlife in South Asia including sea turtle research; broader remit and institutional funding, but overlapping species and habitat focus.
• WWF India: Large established Indian conservation organization with marine turtle programs and government policy influence; offers overlapping species protection capabilities as part of a much broader portfolio across India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=RCzFGtYbm9U
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsstcn.org%2F
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sstcn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network