Illegal turtle trade, an ongoing battle

Illegal turtle trade, an ongoing battle

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The outcome of the fight by local environmentalists, against the
illegal yet excessive sea turtle trade in Bali, relies on many
factors -- their ability to stir up public sympathy, gain support
from the traditional community and religious leaders, soften the
poacher's hearts and most importantly, secure the support of the
local government.

The recent reaction of members of the village of Tanjung Benoa
to anti-turtle poaching regulations was another indication that
confrontational approaches to the problem only breed hostility.
The villages demanded authorities revoke the regulation which had
been instigated by various local and international NGOs.

For years outsiders have publicly labeled the Tanjung Benoa
people as heartless slaughterers and even threatened to stage an
international boycott against the island's tourism. Only 50 out
of a total of 783 households are involved in turtle poaching but
this kind of criticism alienated and angered the whole village,
crushing the hope that the villagers might help to protect the
turtles in the future.

Such crude approaches caused the trade to operate underground.
Now it is difficult to estimate the current number of turtles
being caught, and shipped into Tanjung Benoa, as the trade is
almost undetectable.

The village was once known as the heart of the turtle trade in
Indonesia. In the late 1990s, a single year could bring 27,000
turtles, from locations around the country, to its rudimentary
port.

Efforts to engage and pressure the local police to take firm
action against the trade has generally resulted in the arrest of
poor men, who turned to poaching in the struggle to make a
living, and small-scale traders. The trade bosses, who provide
the ships and capital are left free to continue the business.

The recent protest was undoubtedly triggered by off-shore
raids conducted by the sea police in Bali and East Kalimantan, in
which hundreds of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were seized from
poacher's ships that had originated from Tanjung Benoa.

Esxcorted by traditional security guards (Pecalang), the
protesters, mostly dressed in Balinese costumes, protested loudly
and concluded by burning a blue WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)
banner outside the office of the its Wallacea chapter in
Denpasar.

Claiming they need turtles for religious purpose, the
protesters demanded the government grant the village a special
turtle quota. Moreover, they insisted that NGOs should provide
former poachers with alternative source of income, and accused
environmental organizations of inciting the police to take
tougher measures toward poachers.

"The protest provided us with a better and clearer
understanding of the dynamics of this problem, particularly the
issues we must address -- alternative sources of income and the
customary and religious need for turtles," WWF Wallacea's Turtle
Campaign Leader, Windia Adnyana said.

From a respected Brahmin family, Windia is well-versed in
ancient Balinese Hindu traditions, and knows that certain
sacrificial rituals require meat from the turtle and it's head.

"Religious authorities have stated that only 70 turtles are
needed for religious purposes in the regency each month. If that
is really the case, I believe we will be able to find a solution
that accommodate the villager's needs without sacrificing the
future of the species," he said.

For years WWF had been allocating a significant amount of
energy and funds to non-confrontational programs. It was
remarkably successful in Perancak, West Bali, when it managed to
facilitate the transformation of a group of turtle poachers into
conservationists.

By establishing the Adopt the Nests program, WWF channeled
funds -- generously donated by local companies and concerned
individuals -- to reformed turtle poachers, who were tasked to
protect the turtle nests at their beach. Thousands of turtle's
eggs were hatched safely as a result of the program.

However, WWF still faced a dead-end when it came to Tanjung
Benoa. A program, organized in collaboration with Ecosafe --
which involved providing the poachers with wood carving skills
and marketing their handicrafts -- failed to stimulate a
sufficient response from local poachers.

The government's help and assistance would surely have boosted
the program. With the government's assistance it may have been
possible to set up a soft loan scheme, to help the poachers learn
new skills and to start new trades, while simultaneously imposing
a deadline for the end of the turtle trade.

Unfortunately, local politicians and bureaucrats were busy
rustling up support for the Bali governor's election and the 2004
general election. NGOs should not have too much faith that
government-led initiatives will come to the rescue of the
turtles, or fix the problem in Tanjung Benoa.

After field research, Windia then tried to sell the idea of
establishing a turtle center to the people of Tanjung Benoa. The
center would be comprised of a hatchery facility, turtle cultural
museum, training center and on-site display facility. Tanjung
Benoa was designated as the core of turtle-based ecotourism in
Indonesia.

The development of the center was expected to be co-financed
by NGOs, the tourism industry and local turtle trade bosses.

"The problem now is whether the people of Tanjung Benoa are
still willing to talk to us," he said.

To communicate the NGOs would have to first convince Tanjung
Benoa people that they came not only to save the turtles, but
also to help the people.