What's About Sea Turtle At Indonesia?

Six out of seven of the world’s species of turtles are found in Indonesia. Because of the large numbers of islands, extensive coastline, sea grass and coral reefs, Indonesia provides important nesting and foraging grounds to many species and is home to the largest rookery for Green Turtles recorded in SouthEast Asia, in the Berau Islands, East Kalimantan, and is home to the largest nesting rookery for Leatherback turtles along the Northern Coast of Papua. Indonesia also represents important migration routes, lying as it does at the cross-roads of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Sea turtles are designated worldwide as threatened and endangered species, in part due to their unique life history which makes sea turtle populations vulnerable to several sources of mortality at critical stages in their life. Many species of sea turtle require decades to reach maturity, they come ashore onto beaches to lay their eggs, and they have a migratory nature, where their migrations may extend across national jurisdictions and the high seas. Turtles are therefore vulnerable to accidental interactions with fishing gears, to having their nesting beaches eroded or washed away, and to the harvesting of meat and eggs. Based on early monitoring data, it is estimated that many sea turtle species in Indonesia are reduced to up to 90% of former levels. The Government of Indonesia has recognized the urgent need for conservation measure to protect and restore the sea turtle populations in Indonesian waters, and has put in place a number of ‘in-situ’ and ‘ex-situ’ conservation measures

Presently, there are 36 Designated Marine Conservation Areas in Indonesia covering about 4,700,000 ha of total area:

• 6 Marine National Parks
  
• 5 Marine Strict Nature Reserves
• 19 Marine Nature Recreation Parks
• 6 Marine Wildlife Sanctuary

Pulau Sangalaki and Pulau Sammana in the Derawan Archipelago of Berau Regency in East Kalimantan: The Derawan archipelago is home to the largest nesting rookery of Green Turtles recorded in SE Asia, and are one of a series of important green turtle populations found along the coast of Borneo. Turtles nest all year round in Derawan Islands, with an average of thirty turtles estimated to nest each night on Pulau Sangalaki alone. In April 2001, the local district government (Berau Bupati Decree No.44/2001) also revoked the concessions to collect eggs
on Sangalaki, increasing the overall level of protection for the nesting sites in this important area, which formerly only covered Pulau Samama. Meru Betiri: Meru Betiri National Park in East Java, is a nesting beach for 4 species of turtle; green, olive ridley, leatherback and hawksbill. Park staff at Meru Betiri have been running a monitoring and tagging program for the past seven years, the longest continuous tagging program in Indonesia. The recent tags were provide by SEAFDEC.

List of Turtles Recorded in Indonesia:

1. Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
2. Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricta)
   
3. Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
4. Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacae)
   
5. Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacae)
   
6. Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus)

A Blueprint for Action to protect Indonesian Sea Turtles Summary:
- Pledge to protect the Pacific’s most important remaining nesting site for Leatherback turtles in    Papua within twelve months.
- Call on governments visited by the Leatherbacks after leaving the nesting beaches in    Indonesia, to enter into bilateral agreements focused on protecting the leatherbacks.
- Call on fishing nations and the fishing industry to work on finding solutions that benefit both    fishermen and turtles by minimizing accidental take and entanglement.
- Build a systematic framework for protecting the green turtle nesting population in East    Kalimantan and across the region, including transboundary sites.
- Reduce the take of turtle products domestically to traditional use alone and to sustainable    levels.

If YOU care about nature, especially Indonesia biodiversity, please visit Indonesia WWF official website. They are professional and person who care about nature at Indonesia for many years. Journey and explore your mind to Indonesia!