The time of year for turtle nesting has begun. It has also proven to be incredibly stressful.
The kampung I live in is 38 years old. From the time they moved into the neighborhood until now they have depended on turtle eggs and turtles as an income stream and a protein supplement to their diet. This is generally the case with most seafood you will see on conservation lists. An absence of education and a need for income and food are the main reasons this happens.
What surprised me even more than finding out that entire turtle populations can be wiped out by a single village was that a majority of Western people are unaware of conservation efforts. It surprised me because it's always been something I've been passionate about and have paid attention to. I've always lived near the ocean and have followed stories about how things work out there. For a long time I've stared at conservation websites wishing they didn't make you pay thousands of dollars to come and volunteer so I could proactively do something about the things that are so upsetting from a distance.
On the other hand, I completely understand why people aren't aware of conservation efforts. For one, it is insanely expensive to volunteer within the conservation community. I understand a lot of that money gets pooled back into the efforts of the project, but also makes the project totally unapproachable for many people. Secondly, in the case of turtles, they aren't present in the Pacific Northwest, rendering them off the radar. This is also reasonable as the PNW has it's own share of conservation to deal with.
So let's learn about the turtles. Specifically, my turtles.
Turtle nesting season begins in May and goes through October. Turtles return to the very beach they hatched on if they survive the long journey to adulthood. On average, a turtle will lay around 130 eggs per nest. Only a small percentage of them will survive due to beachside development, predators, and poaching.
There are green sea turtles and leatherbacks that come to my beach every year to lay new nests. Every year, their nests are poached and the eggs are sold to a middle man who in turn sells them in Jakarta. The villager who will sell them gets around $0.50 for 5 eggs.
Most people who sell the eggs do this for their livelihood as they have no other access to income or food. That being said, one cannot go into such a situation and simply demand they stop their practices. This is where the challenge of our project comes in. We are working with the village in an effort to curb their habits and find a different, more sustainable and profitable income flow.
It will be a long process as nothing happens overnight. In addition, I am no marine biologist and only have so much knowledge. There is also no outside funding for our project. Currently I am searching for volunteers to help with my efforts. From marine biologists to graphic designers or solar enthusiasts.
There are many efforts currently dedicated to turtle conservation and I'm excited to finally be a part of it. I certainly had no idea it would be as heartbreaking and stressful as it turns out to be. But I'm loving it and hoping to see our tiny turtle population grow over the years.
The pictures above are of a fence a villager made around a turtle nest he found. It is the 1 out of 5 that have survived in the past month. We are waiting for them to hatch.
The 2nd picture of a nest that was poached with my friend from the village looking at it with surprising disappointment.
If you feel like reading up a little on conservation, I added some links of sites with good information and intentions.
The Nature Conservancy Indonesia
WWF Indonesia
Turtles & Light Pollution
The kampung I live in is 38 years old. From the time they moved into the neighborhood until now they have depended on turtle eggs and turtles as an income stream and a protein supplement to their diet. This is generally the case with most seafood you will see on conservation lists. An absence of education and a need for income and food are the main reasons this happens.
What surprised me even more than finding out that entire turtle populations can be wiped out by a single village was that a majority of Western people are unaware of conservation efforts. It surprised me because it's always been something I've been passionate about and have paid attention to. I've always lived near the ocean and have followed stories about how things work out there. For a long time I've stared at conservation websites wishing they didn't make you pay thousands of dollars to come and volunteer so I could proactively do something about the things that are so upsetting from a distance.
On the other hand, I completely understand why people aren't aware of conservation efforts. For one, it is insanely expensive to volunteer within the conservation community. I understand a lot of that money gets pooled back into the efforts of the project, but also makes the project totally unapproachable for many people. Secondly, in the case of turtles, they aren't present in the Pacific Northwest, rendering them off the radar. This is also reasonable as the PNW has it's own share of conservation to deal with.
So let's learn about the turtles. Specifically, my turtles.
Turtle nesting season begins in May and goes through October. Turtles return to the very beach they hatched on if they survive the long journey to adulthood. On average, a turtle will lay around 130 eggs per nest. Only a small percentage of them will survive due to beachside development, predators, and poaching.
There are green sea turtles and leatherbacks that come to my beach every year to lay new nests. Every year, their nests are poached and the eggs are sold to a middle man who in turn sells them in Jakarta. The villager who will sell them gets around $0.50 for 5 eggs.
Most people who sell the eggs do this for their livelihood as they have no other access to income or food. That being said, one cannot go into such a situation and simply demand they stop their practices. This is where the challenge of our project comes in. We are working with the village in an effort to curb their habits and find a different, more sustainable and profitable income flow.
It will be a long process as nothing happens overnight. In addition, I am no marine biologist and only have so much knowledge. There is also no outside funding for our project. Currently I am searching for volunteers to help with my efforts. From marine biologists to graphic designers or solar enthusiasts.
There are many efforts currently dedicated to turtle conservation and I'm excited to finally be a part of it. I certainly had no idea it would be as heartbreaking and stressful as it turns out to be. But I'm loving it and hoping to see our tiny turtle population grow over the years.
The pictures above are of a fence a villager made around a turtle nest he found. It is the 1 out of 5 that have survived in the past month. We are waiting for them to hatch.
The 2nd picture of a nest that was poached with my friend from the village looking at it with surprising disappointment.
If you feel like reading up a little on conservation, I added some links of sites with good information and intentions.
The Nature Conservancy Indonesia
WWF Indonesia
Turtles & Light Pollution