14 Mar 2007 - By Olivier
van Bogaert* - The tropical Indonesian island
of Bali has long been a mecca for tourists
in search of fine white beaches and the
warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
But there is a dark side to paradise. Following
terrorist bombings that rocked this tropical
island in 2002, and again in 2005, the local
economy has taken a beating.
“After the bombings, there was much discontent
and despair. Many lost their jobs and incomes,
especially in the tourism sector,” said
WWF-Indonesia’s Ida Bagus Windia Adnyana.
“Because of this, it was hard to talk to
villagers about conservation.”
For years, Bali has been a hub for Indonesia’s
illegal marine turtle trade, particularly
in two coastal villages on Serangan islet
in the southern neighbourhood of Denpasar,
Bali’s main city. It’s thought that between
500 and 1,000 turtles — mostly green and
hawksbills — are illegally imported into
the island each month where their meat is
sold or used in religious ceremonies.
Poachers and traders claim that turtle
meat is an essential part of Balinese Hindu
sacrificial rituals, and blame conservationists
and law enforcement agencies for being “enemies”
of the island’s cultural and religious heritage.
“Poaching marine turtles is a serious problem
on Serangan,” said Adnyana, who leads WWF’s
marine turtle campaign in the country. “It
is obvious that killing turtles for religious
ceremonies is often used as an excuse for
covering up the trade or using the animals
for personal consumption.”
Marine turtles are under threat throughout
its tropical and sub-tropical distribution
range from meat and egg over-harvesting,
and from being caught accidentally in fishing
gear. According to WWF, an estimated 100,000
green turtles are killed in the Indo-Australian
archipelago each year.
“This is not only reducing the turtle population,
but also creating ecological strains in
numerous sea turtle habitats around the
country,” Adnyana stressed.
Turtle education
To help educate communities on how turtle
conservation can have a direct benefit on
their livelihoods, WWF is working closely
with Hindu priests to show that there is
no need to kill the turtles for ceremonies.
Support from the priests has been forthcoming.
One high priest has gone so far as to publicly
recommend replacing live turtles or turtle
meat in ceremonies with turtle photos or
turtle-shaped rice cakes.
In addition, the global conservation organization,
with support from local government agencies
and USAID, has set up a turtle education
centre a few kilometers away from the villages
to educate people on marine turtle conservation
issues and to encourage them not to consume
turtle products. Donations from visitors
to the centre are used to operate the facility.
The creation of the turtle centre sparked
immediate interest because it became a potential
source of jobs, a tourist attraction and
an educational tool for Balinese schoolchildren
all in one.
Local high school and university students
often volunteer at the centre, helping to
monitor the turtles’ health, and collecting
data that is both useful to turtle science
and their own academic pursuits.
“This is my first job since graduating
high school,” said Made Sumetra, who liaises
with scientists from a local university.
“I consider myself an ecologist and am happy
to be part of the research.”
Staff member Wyan Geria, a local village
leader, was also attracted to the centre
for his love of turtles. He remembers a
time when Bali had a better image in regards
to its treatment of wildlife, particularly
marine turtles. Now his main duties include
talking with visitors and the greater community
about treating turtles with respect.
“We want to see an end to the turtle trade
and the centre is one way to help inform
the wider community,” said Adnyana. “As
the centre’s staff comes from these communities,
they can play a big role in trying to influence
traders and others to support turtle conservation.”
In fact, the centre now offers job training
for many former turtle traders, helping
them start new careers in sustainable seafood
production. A recently signed agreement
between the turtle centre and local supermarkets
to sell these products has provided new
income and opportunities for those who in
the past were more inclined to catch turtles.
Turtle protection
The turtles housed in the centre are mainly
green and hawksbill turtles that have been
found ill or injured. Many of their nests
have also been relocated to the centre from
nearby beaches that are regularly visited
by poachers in search of turtle eggs.
Most hatchlings will be released, while
some will briefly be kept in the centre
for exhibition and educational purposes.
Others are provided to communities for religious
ceremonies, only on the stipulation that
they are released back into the sea.
Although green turtles have long played
a significant, symbolic role in traditional
Indonesian Hindu rituals and ceremonies,
religious leaders have asked Balinese Hindus
to stop using turtle meat in religious ceremonies
until the turtle population is stabilized.
WWF is working with Indonesian authorities
to reduce the: loss and degradation of critical
marine turtle habitats; negative impact
of bycatch; and unsustainable use and illegal
trade in marine turtles and turtle products.
At the same time, the global conservation
organization is conducting extensive research
on the species and their habitats, and developing
effective eco-tourism, which helps provide
alternative livelihood options for turtle
traders.
“Thanks to Serangan’s turtle conservation
and education centre, there is hope for
the species,” he added. “For marine turtles
ending up on Bali, this would mean a second
chance.”
* Oliver van Bogaert is Senior Press Officer
at WWF International.
END NOTES:
• Six of the seven of the world’s marine
turtles are found in Indonesia, including:
green (Chelonia mydas); hawksbill (Eretmochelys
imbricta); loggerhead (Caretta caretta);
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacae); olive
ridley (Lepidochelys olivacae); and flatback
(Natator depressus). All six species of
marine turtle found in Indonesia are listed
as vulnerable, endangered or critically
endangered. The main threats faced by marine
turtles include habitat and nesting site
destruction, bycatch, illegal trade and
unsustainable exploitation.
• Because of the large numbers of islands,
extensive coastline, sea grass and coral
reefs, Indonesia is home to the largest
rookery of green turtles recorded in South-east
Asia in the Berau Islands, East Kalimantan,
and to the largest nesting rookery for leatherback
turtles along the northern coast of Papua.
