All over the world, the pressure to conserve ecosystems and their resources has been steadily rising. This has, in turn, led to conflicts between conservation imperatives and the livelihoods’ needs of the communities that interact with these ecosystems. An example of the impasse that such a state of opposition can lead to can be found in Orissa, India, where the moves to implement official sea turtle protection measures along the coast have resulted in mounting conflicts involving fisherfolk, government departments and conservationists.