Berau struggling to save green turtles<\/p>\n
Pariama Hutasoit, Contributor, Berau, East Kalimantan<\/p>\n
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and scaled turtles
\n(Eretmochelys imbricata) have a long history on Derawan island,
\none of the districts in Berau regency, East Kalimantan. Sea
\nturtles, particularly the green turtle, are an important
\ncommodity thanks to their nutritious eggs.<\/p>\n
The local government has made the turtles an important source
\nof locally generated income, with the government involving the
\nbusiness sector on a profit-sharing basis.<\/p>\n
This concessionaire arrangement contributes an average of Rp
\n175 million per month to the local coffers.<\/p>\n
But the turtle business has become a sensitive issue in East
\nKalimantan because green turtles have been placed on the
\ninternational list of endangered species.<\/p>\n
The species is included in the Red Data Book of the
\nInternational Union of Conservation of Nature, and in Appendix I
\nof the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
\n(CITES), of which Indonesia is a signatory.<\/p>\n
Species included in the Appendix are banned from being
\nexploited and traded, except for scientific and breeding
\npurposes. Thus, turtle exploitation in Berau has been put under
\nthe national and international spotlight.<\/p>\n
With increasing pressure for the conservation of turtles and
\ntheir habitat, the local administration decided to halt the
\nexploitation of turtles as of July 2002.<\/p>\n
\"Berau is committed to giving up the annual revenues of Rp 1
\nbillion from turtle eggs and stop exploiting the reptiles,\" Berau
\nRegent H. Masdjuni told participants of a recent workshop on sea
\nturtle-based tourism in Derawan last month.<\/p>\n
The workshop, co-organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-
\nIndonesia and the Berau regional administration, was attended by
\nState Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gde Ardika and leading
\nlocal businesspeople. It sought ideas on how to preserve the
\nendangered turtles in the regency.<\/p>\n
The workshop recommended that any preservation programs be
\ntied to the regency's tourism agenda, and that local communities
\nbe involved in the programs in such a way that all parties
\nbenefit.<\/p>\n
State Minister Ardika said that if turtles were made a
\ncenterpiece of the regency's tourist industry, it would be a
\npioneering eco-tourism project in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
But the chief of Berau's Regional Environmental Management
\nBoard (Bapelda), Suparno Kasim, cast doubts over whether stopping
\nthe exploitation of the turtles would have a positive impact on
\nthe preservation of the endangered species.<\/p>\n
He argued that the demand for turtle meat came from other
\nprovinces, such as Bali, and turtle eggs had long been a
\ntraditional delicacy and would continue to be so. Besides, he
\nsaid, the trade in turtle eggs and meat had spread as far as
\nSabah, Malaysia.<\/p>\n
In fact, despite their consumption of turtle eggs, the coastal
\npeople of Berau have long been familiar with conservation.<\/p>\n
The appointment of investors as concession holders to manage
\nthe turtle egg business began in the Dutch colonial period
\nbetween the 1930s and the 1940s.<\/p>\n
\"At that time it was determined when to harvest the eggs and
\nwhen the animals should be left to lay their eggs. In other
\nwords, not all the eggs were for consumption,\" said Suparno.<\/p>\n
This Dutch concession system was retained when Indonesia
\ngained independence in 1945. Only in 1950 was the system
\nrestructured under special regional rules, which among other
\nthings authorizing the regency to exploit turtle eggs only, with
\nno turtle meat allowed.<\/p>\n
However, with minimum knowledge of turtles' biological
\ncharacteristics and habitat, turtle conservation was not
\neffective although it was covered by a bylaw passed in 1969. The
\nbylaw required that baby turtles be released into the seas.<\/p>\n
Based on data collected by the Kalbu Foundation, an
\nenvironmental and cultural conservation foundation in Tanjung
\nRedep, Berau, 67,440 five-month-old baby turtles were released
\ninto the sea between 1969\/70 and 1999\/2000. From the period of
\n1995 to 1999, Berau produced 11,623,605 turtle eggs.<\/p>\n
Research has shown that the mortality rate of this rare animal
\nis very high. \"Only one in every 1,000 baby turtles can survive
\nuntil old age,\" said Windia Adnyana of WWF-Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Turtle meat and shells are valuable commodities in certain
\nareas, especially Bali, where turtle meat is needed for some
\nreligious rituals. Souvenirs made of turtle shells are also in
\nhigh demand in Bali. This keeps demand for turtles from Derawan
\nisland high.<\/p>\n
\"This rising demand is speeding up the animals' extinction,\"
\nWindia said.<\/p>\n
The conservation efforts, based on Ministry of Agriculture
\nDecree No.604\/KPTS\/UM\/8\/1982, which earmarks Semama island, one
\nof the islands in Berau regency, as a wildlife reserve, are
\nconsidered to be insufficient.<\/p>\n
The reality is that the turtle habitat in Berau is quite vast,
\nconsisting of eight islands, known as \"egg islands\", namely
\nSangalaki, Balambangan, Sambit, Mataha, Semama, Bilang-Bilangan,
\nBalikkukup and Derawan.<\/p>\n
In 1998, concessionaire holders were required to set aside 10
\npercent of their turtle eggs for hatching. In 1999, 315,520 baby
\nturtles were released into the sea.<\/p>\n
Turtle conservation in Berau is under the control of the
\nNatural Resources Conservation Institution (KSDA) and the fishery
\nservice. The number of young turtles released into the sea has
\ncontinued increasing thanks to pressure from non-governmental
\norganizations and the international community.<\/p>\n
The number of young turtles released into the sea increased by
\n20 percent in 2001. And in January 2002, Derawan and Sangalaki
\nislands accounted for 45 percent of the total turtle eggs
\nearmarked for hatching.<\/p>\n
Four other small islands -- Mataha, Bilang-Bilangan,
\nBelambangan\/Sambit and Balikukup -- which together account for 50
\npercent of the eggs for hatching, are still in the transitional
\nperiod and will continue to be exploited by CV Derawan Penyu
\nLestari until June 2002.<\/p>\n
The six turtle islands will be fully protected as of July
\n2002. And as an alternative, Derawan island will be developed
\ninto an environmentally friendly tourist resort with turtle as
\nthe main attraction.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/berau-struggling-to-save-green-turtles-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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