Bali's turtle slaughtered as illicit trade continues
JAKARTA (JP): An environmental group claimed the illicit trade in endangered turtles remained robust despite numerous laws which have been passed to fight the trade and protect turtles.
The government recently issued Regulation No. 7/1999, which is meant to protect all turtle species. While Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and the ecosystem states that anyone trading in protected animals is subject to five years imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp 100 million.
Animal Conservation for Life (KSBK) said that from May to August of this year, 9,000 turtles were traded in Benoa Peninsula, Bali, which has become the main center of the turtle business in Indonesia.
"Most of the turtles being traded are green turtles and a few hawksbills," Rosek Nursaid, the director of KSBK, told The Jakarta Post.
KSBK, which is based in Malang, East Java, in cooperation with the World Society for the Protection of Animals, monitored the turtle trade Bali from May to August.
Indonesia is home to six of the seven known turtle species n the world: the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), flatback (Natator depressus) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas).
Rosek identified Bali as "the world's main center for the turtle business", where thousands of turtles were slaughtered each year despite the laws meant to protect them.
In response to the outcry raised by environmentalists, the Bali provincial government issued a bylaw in the 1990s which set the legal maximum number of turtles which could be captured per year at 5,000. The bylaw also stated that turtles were only to be captured for use in religious and cultural ceremonies.
To facilitate supervision of the bylaw, the provincial government named Benoa in Badung regency as the only legal port of entrance for captured turtles. The Badung regency government set the quota for turtle consumption in 1996 at 3,000 turtles per year, with only turtles less than 80 centimeters in curvae carapace length (CCL) allowed to be consumed.
Larger turtles are considered sexually mature and capturing them would endanger the species.
However, KSBK notes that most of the turtles on the market are between 80cms and 90cms CCL.
"The trade in turtles above 80cms CCL is very dangerous because it jeopardize the existence of the green turtle," Rosek said.
Turtles between 80cms and 90cms CCL are sold for between Rp 400,000 and Rp 500,000, while smaller turtles sell for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 250,000.
The endangered turtles are sold for their meat in upscale restaurants. Their shells are commonly used to make various souvenirs, from necklaces, bracelets, rings, forks and key rings.
According to KSBK, turtles traded in Bali come from many areas, including Aru, Southeast Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, Irian Jaya, Madura, Timor and Flores.
Respected Hindu priest Ida Pedanda Gde Putra Bajing of Denpasar was quoted by KSBK as saying that there is no religious decree mandating the use of turtle meat in any religious rite.
Ida Pedanda suspects religion is being exploited to justify the illegal trade in turtles. (pan)