TURTLE FOUNDATION. Protection program for sea turtles Derawan islands, East-Kalimantan / Indonesia. Project title:

Transcription

1 TURTLE FOUNDATION Protection program for sea turtles Derawan islands, East-Kalimantan / Indonesia Project title: Nesting beaches, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs protection program for sea turtles (Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata) and their habitats on the Derawan islands in East Kalimantan, Indonesia ( ) By Dr. Hiltrud Cordes Dr. Thomas Reischig Vany Ahang Moord Nono Rachmad Basuki (Program director) (Project coordinator and scientific director) (Project manager in Indonesia) (Deputy project manager in Indonesia)

2 Content Page 0. Summary 3 1. Details of applicant The TURTLE FOUNDATION Local partners 4 2. Project description Project location Background and initial situation Project history and current situation Challenges for the coming years Project goals with performance indicators Description of the activities 24 A. Securing and improvement of the basic project 24 B. Development and implementation of accompanying measures 25 C. Improvement of the headquarters in Tanjung Redeb 27 D. Extension of the protection program to the islands of Belambangan und Sambit 28 E. Visitor center and eco-tourism project on Sangalaki 31 F. Accompanying scientific measures: data collection, scientific analysis and publication, research projects Time schedule Sustainability of the project Literature cited 39 Images of the title page: top island of Samama; bottom left TF-employee Kenny Setyawan on Sangalaki island; bottom right WWF-employee together with program director Dr. Hiltrud Cordes on Sangalaki island Page 2

3 0. Summary Sea turtles are among those animal species that are existentially threatened by human activities. Within the last century, their population has declined to a fraction of their former presence, and in some regions they are already locally extinct. All seven species are now endangered or threatened with extinction. In Indonesia, since 1999, all species of marine turtles are, on paper at least, under protection. In the Indonesian Derawan archipelago off the east coast of the island of Borneo (province East Kalimantan), until the year 2000 nearly all eggs of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were exploited for human consumption by professional egg collectors. This resulted in a population decline of more than 91% within the last 50 years. The hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), which also occur in the Derawan Archipelago, are also threatened, because they are hunted for their shell. Since its founding in the year 2000, the Turtle Foundation together with its local partner organization Yayasan Penyu Berau has run a protection program for sea turtles in the Derawan archipelago. Currently, the Turtle Foundation operates permanent ranger stations on three important nesting islands of the green turtle, from which the nesting beaches can be continuously monitored. Due to these activities, now about 75% of the nests in the Derawan archipelago are protected against illegal egg poaching. Within the first 10 years of operation, the Turtle Foundation enabled a hopeful start into life for about 4.5 million turtle hatchlings. Though this seems like a large number, the estimated survival rate means only about one of a thousand hatchlings will make it into maturity. For the next year (2012) the Turtle Foundation is planning to extend its protection program to two other islands (Belambangan and Sambit) that are unprotected so far. This would increase the rate of protected nests to more than 90%, and would considerably increase the prospective long-term survival of the population. Further, the nearby large coral reef of Muaras could be patrolled via a new ranger station on Belambangan. Thus, the Turtle Foundation would come closer to another of its project goals, which is the protection of all local habitats of the sea turtles, including the feeding grounds in the seagrass meadows and coral reefs, as well as the nesting beaches. This becomes more important since a relatively new threat appeared: the massive poaching and looting by foreign fishermen, which can only be countered by increased control of the marine habitats. Here, the Turtle Foundation can provide considerable support to the local authorities by provision of infrastructure (boats and ranger stations on uninhabited islands) and staff. The protection of the marine habitats does not only serve the protection of sea turtles, but will benefit the conservation of the entire marine biodiversity, on which the local people depend. Because they make their living predominantly from fishing, the sustainable use of natural resources is equivalent to securing the livelihood for the next generations. Therefore, environmental education and public relations are of utmost importance to help the local community to appreciate the complex relationships within marine ecosystems. In addition, it is of paramount importance to develop alternative opportunities for income for the local population, including potential ecotourism projects. Finally, the Turtle Foundation recognizes collection and publication of scientific data and insights as an important task to improve the so far scarce knowledge about life and population biology of the sea turtles in the Derawan archipelago. This would offer further possibilities for setting up successful conservation programs. Page 3

4 1. Details of applicant 1.1 The TURTLE FOUNDATION The Turtle Foundation was founded in Germany in 2000, and now has branch offices in Switzerland, Indonesia, Cape Verde, and the United States. The objective of the Turtle Foundation is the worldwide protection of sea turtles, concentrating on practical, tangible, and sustainable aspects of conservation. The Turtle Foundation is a non-profit organization, which is funded by donations and grants, and operates with minimal administration costs. The activities of the Turtle Foundation started on the Derawan islands in East Kalimantan (Indonesia). There, the nesting population of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is heavily threatened, and has been brought to the brink of extinction by massive egg collection at a rate of nearly 100% during the last half of the last century. In addition, the hawksbill turtle, which is hunted for its decorative carapace shell, is also threatened with extinction. In the year 2007, the Turtle Foundation launched a second large program dedicated to the protection of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) on the island of Boavista (Cape Verde). The loggerhead turtle population on the Cape Verde islands is, after Florida and Oman, the third largest population in the world. This population has been largely decimated by illegal slaughtering of the females on the beaches during nesting activity. Since 2008, the Turtle Foundation has been operating a conservation program on Boavista. Turtle Foundation performsbeach patrols during the nesting season between June and October, as well as environmental education and public relations, development of eco-tourism projects, and other approaches including struggle against poverty and sustainable use of natural recourses. The costs of the Cape Verde projects in the last year (2010) were about Euro (approx. $250,000 USD). Further, the Turtle Foundation supports partner organizations on Bali (ProFauna) and, since recently, the Eine-Welt-Haus e. V. (One-World-Association in Jena, Germany, with projects in Chacocente, Nicaragua) in their respective activities for the protection of sea turtles. 1.2 Local partners The actions of the Turtle Foundation on the Derawan islands are carried out by its affiliate organization YPB (Yayasan Penyu Berau Turtle Foundation of the Berau district) in close cooperation with the Indonesian nature conservation authority BKSDA (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Office for the Protection of Natural Resources). The YPB is funded 100% by the Turtle Foundation. In the project years 2011 and 2012, it is planned to increase our efforts in developing accompanying measures to involve the local population in our protection programs. There, we are about to involve the local non-governmental organization Bestari, which has many years of experience in this field of activity. Figure 1: Logo of the NGO Bestari Page 4

5 2. Project description 2.1 Project location The Indonesian Derawan archipelago consists of 31 mostly uninhabited islands that belong to the Berau district (kabubaten Berau) of the province of East Kalimantan. Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. The capital of the district of Berau is Tanjung Redeb, the provincial capital of East Kalimantan is Samarinda. From Tanjung Redeb there are flight connections to Samarinda, Tarakan, and Balikpapan. Currently, the airport is being expanded; thus, more connections might be added in future. From Tanjung Redeb, where the headquarters of the Turtle Foundation is situated, the project islands Samama and Sangalaki can be reached by a 2-3 hour boat trip. To reach the project islands Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha, which lie farther to the south, one must drive 4 hours by car to the village of Lenggo. From there, it is a 2 hour boat trip to Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha. The islands of Belambangan and Sambit are also important nesting islands for the green turtle, but have not yet been included in our protection program due to lack of available funds. The main feeding grounds of the sea turtles are around Pulau Panjang, where green turtles feed in the seagrass meadows and hawksbills feed around the Muaras reef. Also, the fringing reefs of the small islands are habitats for the sea turtles. Legend of the map (Figure 2): Red areas in the sea = islands Orange areas in the sea = reefs Green areas with white text = headquarters and supply base Areas with green text = existing project locations Red areas with white text = planned project locations Page 5

6 2.2 Background and initial situation Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) in the form known today have roamed the ocean for 100 million years. Now, they are globally represented by seven species. Two species are found in our project area: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Figure 3: Green turtle (left) and hawksbill turtle (right) (Spotila 2004) Long before humans, an estimated 600 million green turtles populated the oceans and the warmer marginal seas. Today, only about 500,000 mature animals are left (Spotila 2004); that is less than one thousandth of the original population, dispersed within a very huge habitat! The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), which publishes the Red Lists of threatened species, therefore classifies the green turtle as vulnerable (Seminoff 2004a; IUCN Red List 2010). For the hawksbill turtle, the situation is even worse; the worldwide population is estimated at about 70,000 mature animals (Spotila 2004). The IUCN classifies the hawksbill as threatened (Mortimer & Donnelly 2008, IUCN Red List 2010). The worldwide population of both species continues to decline despite of several local protection successes. If it is not possible to stop this trend, within the next decades this might lead to the extinction of many populations, if not whole species of these animals, which are so important for the marine ecosystems. The major threats are egg collection for human consumption and hunting for juvenile and mature animals for meat and tortoise shell. Additionally, loss of feeding habitats and nesting beaches due to ongoing coastal development, destruction of coral reefs and seagrass meadows, by-catch in fisheries, pollution and littering of the oceans and other factors heavily contribute to the worldwide decline of sea turtle populations. Sea turtles have always served people inhabiting coastal areas as a food resource, but only at the onset of industrialization some 200 years ago were they seriously exploited, and within the last 100 years they have been pushed to the brink of extinction. Also in the Derawan archipelago, since living memory turtle eggs were collected and turtles were hunted. However, up until the Second World War egg collecting was strictly regulated. The consumption of turtle eggs was an expensive privilege and was mainly reserved to ruling families, nobility, and rich people. The local dynasties regulated times and amounts of egg collection; e.g., every second year the beaches were closed to egg collection. The turtle population was thus not endangered by this relatively sustainable use. As late as the 1940 s, the annual number of nesting females of green turtles was still about 36,000 individuals (Schulz 1984). This situation changed dramatically as Indonesia became independent after the Second World War and the end of Dutch colonial rule. The local government issued egg collection licenses, in which 10% of the nests were supposed to be allowed to hatch. But even this number, which in any case is much too low to sustain the population, was rarely actually conserved. Observations of egg collecting activities indicate that from at least the early Page 6

7 fifties until the year 2000 virtually all nests were plundered. This was a very lucrative business, as turtle eggs have always been an expensive delicacy, and they are in great demand both within and outside the country. The business was controlled by a few local leaders who divided the license fees and the majority of the profits; the collectors and small traders made a living but not much more. Figure 4: A turtle nest is excavated. In addition to changing power relations, various modernization trends contributed to the large-scale nest lootings in the last decades: Improvement of transportation routes by road construction and increasing air and sea traffic allowed access to larger markets in Indonesia and smuggling of turtle products to neighboring countries. With the rapid growth of the Indonesian population, the market for luxury food in Indonesia rapidly expanded. The residents of the Derawan islands mostly belong to the ethnic group of Bajau. Until a few generations ago the Bajau were sea nomads who roamed and inhabited the coastal regions of Western Indonesia and the Philippines in their small boats. It was not until about 50 years ago that the Bajau permanently settled on the islands. As nomads, they made their living from fishing and collection of marine products. A traditional lifestyle of a small group of people generally does not harm the environment, but may lead to destructive and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources by larger population densities and changing to a sedentary lifestyle. A process of rethinking, combined with a feeling of responsibility towards the marine ecosystems, has just begun in the last years and needs further support and assistance. The consequences of the exploitation of turtles and turtle eggs are now clearly imminent: According to recent evaluations of data on nesting activities that were collected by the Turtle Foundation in the past 10 years, the population of annually nesting females of green turtles now only consists about 3,200 individuals (Reischig et al. 2011) this is less than 9% of the population of 1940! These alarming findings are worsened by the following facts: Green turtles take approximately 33 years to reach maturity (Seminoff 2004b). Then, it is reproductively active for about another 19 years where it lays eggs about every 3 years. Therefore it is possible to collect every egg laid by a local population for decades before the decline becomes apparent when mature individuals leave the breeding population and their numbers are not replaced. This also means that the protection measures will also take Page 7

8 decades to become visible, as hatchlings will not return to nest for 30+ years. This is now obvious in the Derawan archipelago, where the population of green turtle nesting females has continuously declined since the 1940 s as older females were removed from the breeding population. Because virtually all eggs were collected there until 10 years ago, it is to be expected that the population will decline further in the near future, before the positive impact of the recent protection measure will become effective. Figure 5: Diagram of green turtle population development in the Derawan archipelago Adult hawksbill turtles are relatively common in the waters around the Derawan islands, but it is still unknown where their nesting grounds are. Therefore, their actual population size is far more difficult to estimate. Their main threat in the Derawan archipelago is not egg collection, but rather the killing of adult animals for their shell. They are either peeled in a cruel manner to harvest their shell, or killed to be preserved with formalin and stuffed to end up as wall decoration. Sea turtles fulfill important functions in the complex marine ecosystems that are only partly understood so far. Though as adults they have few predators except humans and sharks, as juveniles they are integral parts of the marine food chains. They are an important food source especially for larger fish, which then provide food for the local people inhabiting the coasts. Further, because sea turtles nest on beaches where they lay hundreds of eggs, large amounts of marine biomass are shifted to coastal land habitats. Thereby, a large quantity of protein, which is a scarce resource in tropical food chains, is fed into the coastal land habitats, which largely contributes to the biodiversity of the coastal regions. Sea turtles have adapted to this high juvenile mortality rate for millions of years by laying many eggs in repeated nesting events. However, this reproductive strategy is still insufficient to compensate for current level of exploitation by man, and is resulting in the worldwide decline of marine turtle populations. Adult sea turtles use different food sources. While mature and subadult green turtles exclusively feed on vegetarian products of seagrass meadows (juvenile animals mainly feed on small animals), the hawksbill turtles mainly feed on sponges, but also coral, mollusks and crustaceans of the coral reefs. Recent research revealed that frequent feeding on seagrass and coral reefs by sea turtles is of great importance for the integrity of these ecosystems. Sea grass reacts to frequent feeding with increased growth rates Page 8

9 and denser growth of distinct species (Kuiper-Linley et al. 2007). Feeding on fast proliferating species of sponges and coral, which tend to overgrow the majority of slower growing species, enables the existence of the latter species (Spotila 2004). This directly benefits the biological diversity of these habitats, while the ecosystems are adapted to and dependent on this frequent natural usage in a complex manner. Hence, the integrity of these habitats is directly threatened by the decline and the extinction of the sea turtles. Seagrass meadows and coral reefs also provide breeding and nursery grounds for many species of fish that provide the local communities with stock for their fisheries. Thus, the protection of sea turtles is no luxury, but is an integral part of a comprehensive and sustainable conservation of all marine ecosystems. Figure 6: Dead hawksbill turtle the shell was peeled after which the dying turtle was thrown back into the sea. Page 9

10 2.3 Project history and current situation The Turtle Foundation was founded in 2000 for the purpose of preserving the population of green turtles in the Derawan archipelago from extinction. All species of sea turtles including the meat, eggs and shells received legal protection under Indonesian law in In many areas in which the consumption of turtle eggs and meat were common practice, this new law was met with opposition and has not been enforced. In fact, in many local districts, concessions for the collection and trade in turtle eggs have been sanctioned, though against national law. The local nature conservation authority BKSDA (Sumber Daya Alam Balai Konservasi Office for the Protection of Natural Resources), unfortunately has lacked both financial and human resources to enforce the protection law. To date, turtle eggs are still traded in the markets in many Indonesian cities (see video documentation of the Indonesian environmental organization ProFauna: While filming for a Bavarian television documentary (entitled: "Wanderer in the oceans - sea turtles" BR 1999) filmmaker Eberhard Meyer visited for first time the island of Sangalaki. There he saw, in disregard of the conservation laws, every nest laid by the turtles being collected each morning. According to the information of the eggs collectors who were employed by a local dealer, there were 5 islands in the egg-collecting concession, of which 40% of the yield came from Sangalaki island. The other four islands were Bilang-Bilangan, Mataha, Belambangan and Sambit. There were other small islands in the archipelago not included in the concession, but were undoubtedly exploited by locals. Figure 7: Cottage of the egg collectors on Bilang-Bilangan As seen in Figure 5 s population development graph, at the historical rate of exploitation and if the current population development trend continues, the population is at risk of extinction in the near future. Page 10

11 The broadcast of the Bavarian television documentary, in the ARD series "Wilderness Refuge, in the fall of 1999 led directly to the creation of Turtle Foundation. The founding members included Eberhard Meyer, who is still Chairman of the Board, the anthropologist Dr. Hiltrud Cordes, and dedicated scuba divers Christine Hagen and Frank Zindel. The first project goal was to protect the nests on the island of Sangalaki. After a year of preparation, the American biologists Reisa and Kevin Latorra arrived in 2000 to spend two multi-month stays on Sangalaki island implementing an initial conservation and protection program for the turtle nests. Permission was received allowing an initial 20% of nests laid to be conserved, and data collecting on nesting activity and hatching success. This was Phase 1 of the project. Phase 2 began in 2002, when after much negotiation the government extended full protection to Sangalaki and removed it from the egg collecting concession. The Turtle Foundation received approval to establish, in cooperation with the local conservation authority BKSDA, a conservation program on the island including year-round patrols to prevent egg poaching and enable data collection on nesting events. For this purpose a ranger station was built on Sangalaki, a patrol boat was purchased, and people from the local community were hired and trained as rangers. Figure 8: Turtle Foundation s ranger station on Sangalaki To save nests laid in areas subjected to inundation from high tides or other dangers, a hatchery was built, and those vulnerable nests moved to the hatchery. Juveniles are released on the day of hatching, usually in the evening to minimize predation. About 95% of the total investment costs of the ranger station and hatchery were borne by the Turtle Foundation. Other contributing agencies included WWF, TNC and CI. The running costs of the protection program on Sangalaki have been financed virtually exclusively by the Turtle Foundation. Page 11

12 Figure 9: The hatchery on Sangalaki In 2003, the company InGrip, led by Guntram Meier, implemented a project to eliminate introduced rats from the island of Sangalaki. These non-native rats were a cause of significant predation on turtle eggs and hatchlings. As a result of Turtle Foundation s protection program, the poaching of turtle eggs on the monitored islands has been eliminated almost entirely, and for the first time since World War II the turtle nests have been allowed to hatch and the hatchlings allowed to reach the sea. In June 2005, in a shallow water area in the north of the Derawan archipelago, local fishermen made a gruesome discovery. In an illegal driftnet, several hundred meters long, were more than 200 green sea turtles. Most were already drowned when the driftnet was found. Here, near the island of Pulau Panjang, are extensive seagrass beds that serve as the green sea turtle feeding grounds. The results of a scientific investigation (Adnyana et al. 2008) suggest that the turtles grazing on these seagrass beds are a feeding population distinct from those turtles that use the archipelago as a nesting ground. The owners of the nets could not be identified, but the Chinese make of the driftnet, uncommon in Indonesia, fed the suspicion that the crime was committed by Chinese poachers from the Hainan region. It remains unclear whether the turtles were the primary target, for meat or other products to be smuggled elsewhere, or whether they were caught unintentionally as by-catch. In either case, the net was being used illegally. Page 12

13 Figure : Removing the drowned turtles from the driftnet for counting (June 2005) After the surviving turtles were released and the carcasses of dead animals burned, as a result of the incident an ad hoc monitoring station was built in the shallow water area by the local government. The following year (2007), Turtle Foundation contributed to the ongoing costs of maintaining the building. However, in subsequent years we lacked sufficient funding, and the station is no longer in use. The station provided a temporary deterrent to poachers in the sea grass meadows; however, after further discoveries of Chinese fishing nets in the coral reefs of Muaras (2009), it is clear this turtle feeding area is still in danger from poachers. Figure 12: The monitoring station at Pulau Panjang Phase 3 of the project, which is still continuing, began in 2007 when the regional government, under pressure from BKSDA headquarters in Jakarta and Turtle Foundation, ceased licensing the concession for the collection and sale of turtle eggs. The next challenge was to establish on the four additional important nesting islands similar protection programs with appropriate infrastructure as had been done on Sangalaki. All the islands are uninhabited, so the infrastructure for protection requires not only building living quarters, but supplying personnel, food, and even drinking water. At the end of 2007, monitoring stations and hatcheries were built on each of the closely spaced islands of Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha, and commissioned in January They have since been successfully maintained in accordance with the protocol on Sangalaki, and are staffed throughout the year with salaried rangers. The current administration of these Page 13

14 three stations is accomplished from a small office in the district capital of Berau (Tanjung Redeb) on the mainland. Figure : Construction of the station at Mataha, and hatchery at Bilang-Bilangan (2007) The urgently needed station on Belambangan, which due to close proximity could be used to monitor Sambit as well, is yet to be realized due to insufficient available funds. Egg poaching continues there so far unhindered. In May 2007, another serious poaching case was discovered. By chance, a Chinese ship was discovered with nearly 500 dead Hawksbill turtles preserved with formalin. The cargo was to be smuggled to China. In this instance, the perpetrators were arrested and sentenced, but the number of ships carrying turtle contraband that leave the country undetected is unknown, though they certainly exist. The large Muaras Reef in the east of the archipelago is often the preferred target of poachers, as the reef is habitat to many hawksbill turtles. Precise information about the origin and size of this population is unknown due to lack of data. Figure : Confiscated hawksbill turtles (May 2007) Within sight of Sangalaki is the island of Samama, which enjoys a special protected status due to its mangroves which provide an important nesting and resting place for migratory birds as well as nesting turtles. Due to this special status, the protection is not under local jurisdiction, but directly under the conservation authority of the BKSDA. The BKSDA, with the support of the Turtle Foundation, in 2008 built a small observatory here. Turtle Foundation also assists by delivering food and supplies to the station on our trips Page 14

15 to Sangalaki. The BKSDA officials in return provide us with data on the few nests that are laid on Samama. For the future it is planned to integrate these nest data in our surveys. Turtle Foundation currently funds the 18 full-time jobs that are exclusively staffed by locally hired and trained personnel. Employed are two project managers, two boat captains and two station managers, as well as 12 rangers employed with our project partner YPB (Yayasan Penyu Berau). Since 2002 on Sangalaki, and since 2008 on Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha, our rangers have collected data on turtle emergences, nest and egg counts and various other aspects of population and nesting behavior of green sea turtles on the islands in a daily schedule. Every day at least three complete beach tours are conducted. The first tour takes place shortly after dawn to count the previous night s turtle tracks, as the majority of turtles emerge to nest at night during high tide. Since not all emergences result in actual nesting, false crawls as well as actual nests are counted. When uncertain, nests may be confirmed with the use of a steel probe. This requires special care and great experience, due to the risk of damage to eggs. Figure 17: Departure for the evening survey on Bilang-Bilangan Sometimes nests are dug too close to the tide line, where they are vulnerable to inundation at particularly high tides, which would lead to the loss of the entire clutch. Such nests are excavated and reburied in a less vulnerable spot, or in the fenced, lockable hatchery where they are then also fully protected against monitor lizards and poachers. The eggs are counted and noted, along with time and place of nest deposition (the beaches of the islands are divided into marked sectors). On all tours, incidents that indicate egg theft or other violations of the protection policy are specifically noted. Back in the station, the counts are recorded in the logbooks and any special occurrences discussed. Between tours, time is available for general work such as repairs to the station, collecting plastic garbage and driftwood from the beach, and care of the team (cooking, laundry, etc.). The second tour takes place in the early evening just before sunset, and often provides cause for special joy, as this is when many of the new hatchlings who have been waiting under the surface of the sand for the cool of evening choose to make their run to the sea a special treat for our rangers who have been protecting them. The rangers look for the tell-tale signs of hatchling tracks to the sea. Each newly-hatched nest is carefully excavated to count the empty egg shells, any remaining hatchlings, dead and deformed young, and undeveloped and developed but not hatched eggs. These results are written Page 15

16 in field notebooks along with other relevant data and circumstances and used to determine the hatching success. Of course, on all tours the hatchery is also checked, hatchlings are counted and released to the sea during darkness, and hatchery nests also excavated and data collected for hatch success. Figure 18: The supply of fresh fish is on all islands (here: Sangalaki) guaranteed! The last major tour takes place at night. The timing of this depends on the tides, because the turtles primarily emerge at high tide to lay eggs. When the turtles are emerging they are particularly susceptible to interference; even a small disturbance can cause them to abandon the search for a nesting spot and return without nesting into the sea. The night tour therefore occurs well after the high tide, or at low tide, where the probability of disturbing the turtles is lowest. In addition, the rangers use weak lamps with red light, which is less disturbing to the turtles. Once the turtles have completed their nest and begin to lay eggs, they go into a trancelike state and are not easily disturbed. Since this is a good opportunity for egg thieves to collect the eggs while the turtle is laying and thus leave few traces, the night tour for the protection of the turtles is very important. Even during the night tour new tracks are counted, which are then compared with the counts of the morning tour. This has the advantage of not missing tracks that may have been washed away during a rain in the late night hours. On each island at least one employee spends the entire night in a covered guard tower on the beach, to ensure the continuous monitoring of the nesting beach. Page 16

17 Figure : The graphs show the number of new nests for each calendar month of a year, averaged over the corresponding calendar months of several years. In Figure 17, the monthly average of the years , during phase 2 of the project on Sangalaki are plotted. Nesting takes place throughout the year, but activity is higher May through November, with peak nesting in July and August. In the Derawan Archipelago, these are the hottest and driest months. Figure 18 shows the nesting activity during phase 3 of the project, , which incorporates the data from Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha. Here the monthly averages for all three islands were calculated together. The seasonal activity is seen even more clearly; in July and August about 5 times more nests are laid than in February, the month with the least activity. During the high season about 46 nests are laid on all the islands together each day. Page 17

18 At each weekly supply drive the new data is brought into the office in Tanjung Redeb. There they are viewed, sorted and registered in prepared Excel files. The now very extensive data base has been professionally evaluated for the first time by biologist Dr. Thomas Reischig and now provides initial results on population development of the green sea turtles in the Berau archipelago, which is of great importance for the future planning of protection measures. The data were presented recently (April 2011) to the scientific audience at the International Sea Turtle Symposium in San Diego (Reischig et al. 2011) and will soon be published in an international journal. The results indicate that annually about 3,200 green sea turtle females nest in the Berau district, and therefore the population in the Derawan archipelago is currently the eighth largest worldwide, and the third largest in the entire Pacific Ocean (the basis for comparison: Seminoff 2004b). This highlights the importance of this population for the global protection of the species. Of this population, approximately 75% nest on the three islands currently in the Turtle Foundation protection project. On average, every year approximately 870,000 hatchlings are produced. Prior to Turtle Foundation s project, few hatchlings reached the sea. Overall, the number of hatchlings rescued so far adds up to 4.5 million! These successes, however, must be considered against the background that only about one in 1,000 newly hatched turtles reach maturity and return after a long migration to reproduce on their natal beaches. We calculated that with the current 75% protection rate, we expect an annual increase in mature turtles of approximately 3.9% based on the present population. Because of the long generation time of the green sea turtles, this increase to the existing population would not be noticed earlier than around 2035 (green line in Fig. 5 "population development"). Until then, due to the almost complete collection of all nests in previous decades, the population graph line for nesting female turtles will continue to fall (Fig. 5, black line). A recovery of the population to the current level, which still reflects a depleted state, will thus not occur until the 2060 s, and even then only if the current protections are continued through that time. Despite of the recent project time of more than 10 years and the successes achieved, the work of the Turtle Foundation in the Derawan Archipelago has just begun. Page 18

19 2.4 Challenges for the coming years The Turtle Foundation, due to its efficient approach and lean organizational structure, was able to accomplish much in its efforts to protect the green sea turtles in the Berau Archipelago. Nevertheless, our data show how necessary it is to maintain and even expand the protection program over the next several decades and into the future to protect the population. A huge task is the need to protect the turtles marine habitats and feeding grounds. In addition, the targeted hunting of turtles at sea and the unintended by-catch of adult and juvenile turtles must be reduced or eliminated, as a sole focus on the nesting beaches will not be sufficient to stabilize the turtle populations in the long term. The protection rate at the nesting beaches should be increased from the current 75% to 90% in order to ensure continued population regeneration. This could be achieved if a further monitoring station could be built and staffed on Belambangan island - a plan that we have been trying to accomplish for several years, but as yet still lack sufficient funds. From Belambangan the small neighboring island of Sambit could also be monitored, as well as the nearby large Muaras reef. This important marine ecosystem, due to its location at the eastern area of the Derawan archipelago, is the gateway for illegal foreign fishing vessels and needs to be monitored by patrols. To achieve these objectives, the increased involvement of the local community is necessary. Figure 21: Bajau women on Maratua preparing a dessert made of rice flour Of the 31 islands in the Derawan archipelago, only 3 are inhabited, as they are the only ones that contain fresh water. The inhabited islands are Derawan (1,200 inhabitants), Balikukup (700 inhabitants) and the largest island of the archipelago, Maratua, with about 2,200 inhabitants in four villages. There are sea turtle nesting beaches on these 3 islands, but the numbers of nesting turtles are low - either because the turtles were Page 19

20 displaced by development, the eggs were entirely collected for a long time, or because only small stretches of their coastlines are suitable for egg laying. On all inhabited islands, there are primary schools and state-based health centers; on Maratua there is also a secondary school, allowing students to complete the staterequired 9 years of school. The children of the other islands as well as upper level students must attend school on the mainland in Tanjung Redeb. In the absence of much arable land, fishing provides the livelihood for most of the population on the islands. The inhabitants of Derawan and Balikukup belong almost exclusively to the ethnic group of the Bajau, who roamed as nomads until 2-3 generations ago on small boats to coastal areas. Maratua contains primarily members of other ethnic groups, including the Dayak of Kalimantan, and mainland Bugis and Toraja of Sulawesi. While Dayak and Toraja are mostly Protestant Christians, Bugis and Bajau profess Islam. Members of the Muslim faith do not usually eat turtle meat, as Islam bans animals as food that live in two worlds" (e.g. in the sea and on land). But since not all Islamic schools of belief accept this prohibition, the establishment of Islam does not guarantee an abstinence of eating turtle meat. No religion forbids the consumption of turtle eggs on the contrary, the apparent fecundity of sea turtles has led to the belief that eating turtle eggs enhances human fertility. Figure 22 and 23: Primary school children on Maratua / Fishermen of Derawan Island on their boat Furthermore, at the beginning of our project work on Derawan Island we discovered that the local population seemed unaware of the fact that sea turtles return to lay their eggs on their natal beaches, nor of the number of years it takes sea turtles to reach maturity. Logically, there was also no awareness that if all eggs are taken for many years, there will eventually be no turtles to return. The already obvious decline in the turtle population was attributed by the locals exclusively to the death of animals hunted elsewhere in the sea undoubtedly also a factor of great importance. In connection with the fact that the sale of turtle eggs was, and still is, a lucrative business in the market in the city of Samarinda one egg sells for the equivalent of 0.50 euros, or about 70 cents U.S. the acceptance of our protection program in the local community was initially relatively low. There was also suspicion of possible hidden motives to our role and commitment, including the rumor that we wanted to profit from the turtle egg trade ourselves. Through continuous presence and dedication, publicity and communication, and the creation of local jobs, the reputation of the Turtle Foundation has since improved. In Page 20

21 addition, the continuing destruction of the reefs by fishing with dynamite and cyanide, and the increase in the presence of illegal foreign fishing vessels, is gradually convincing the local residents that the protection of the marine ecosystems is critical for protecting the basis for their livelihoods. The local fishermen are frustrated and powerless against the foreign fishermen, who poach large quantities of fish as well as targeting turtles. This situation creates common ground for Turtle Foundation to use as a basis for building cooperation with the local community. Another argument in favor of conservation is the tourist attraction potential of the Derawan Islands. Since the mid-1990 s, this area has been known as one of the world s best diving destinations. The first dive resort opened in the early 90's on the island of Sangalaki, but the operation was closed in However, a new owner is planning a new resort there. Currently there are 4 international dive resorts operating on other nearby islands. The primary obstacles for further development of international tourism to the area are the difficulty and time involved in travel, and the lack of infrastructure and facilities. Of course, a pristine underwater world with virtually guaranteed sightings of sea turtles, manta rays, large fish and many corals would be a strong selling point for dive trips to the Derawan Islands. This would create local jobs, but it is not always the local people who benefit most from this type of exclusive tourism. We are working with our partner, the NGO Bestari, in trying to develop tourism concepts that are more focused on involving the local population. For example, local guides could be trained to take tourists on nightly visits to see nesting turtles. Figure 24: Nabucco - a luxury dive resort at Maratua In addition to the green sea turtle, the rare hawksbill turtle is also found in the Berau Archipelago. On the beaches protected by Turtle Foundation, it nests only very rarely. But the coral reefs in the region are important feeding grounds for juvenile and adult hawksbill turtles. Because of their coveted tortoiseshell they are particularly threatened (see Figure 6, a dead turtle with its outer shell peeled off). From the beautifully patterned scutes (plates) covering the bony carapace, souvenirs such as bracelets and key chains are made. Our objective for the future, to increase protection of Derawan s marine habitats, will also benefit and contribute to the protection of the hawksbill turtles. Although killing hawksbills is already illegal, enforcement of the laws is virtually non-existent. Additional measures including education and outreach, increased enforcement of protection laws, and the promotion and creation of alternative sources of income will need to be taken to address the problem of the illegal take of hawksbill turtles. Page 21

22 Figure 25: Hawksbill turtle shell bracelet, on the island Derawan - cost 2.80 euros ($4.00 U.S.) The recent evaluation of the data by biologist Thomas Reischig has shown that there are still many open questions concerning the populations of green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles in the Derawan Archipelago. More accurate knowledge of population size, population composition and population dynamics, and the nesting and migration patterns of the turtles are critical for the development of appropriate protective measures. Another important goal for our work in the coming years will therefore be research on selected topics. Given that there will be a long preparation phase for obtaining research permits, the establishment of appropriate agreements, and the development of new financing options, such activities are not yet budgeted for in the project. Page 22

23 2.5 Project goals with performance indicators The aim of the project is to permanently protect the turtle population of the Derawan archipelago from egg poaching, hunting, and loss of habitats, to secure the existing population and to further increase it to ensure their survival in the future. Sub-goals: 1. Continuing beach protection on Sangalaki, Samama, Bilang-Bilangan, and Mataha Island via the existing ranger stations. Indicators of success: number of landing and nesting events, data on nesting success, nest transfers, registration of nest losses (especially in connection with possible egg theft) 2. Establishing beach protection on Belambangan and Sambit Island by building a ranger station on Belambangan Island. Indicators of success: beach protection and data collection will be started immediately after the opening of the new station following the established protocol of the stations on Sangalaki, Bilang-Bilangan, and Mataha Island 3. Protecting the Muaras Reef against illegal and destructive fishing methods (dynamite, cyanide, unattended drift-nets) by regular patrols. Events indicating any such activities are to be registered and reported to the local authorities. Indicators of success: decrease of those activities 4. Environmental education of the local population especially regarding the protection of turtles and their habitats. Indicators of success: number of field-trips and their participants to the protected islands, number of distributed brochures, number of lectures held at educational and other institutions 5. Developing income alternatives for the local population (ranger jobs at the Turtle Foundation; supporting the funding of small workshops; aiding in and participating with the organization of turtle observation tours). Indicators of success: increased number of people making a living from these measures (currently 18 rangers), especially considering those locals who conducted a business endangering the environment (turtle egg collection and trade; manufacturing and trade of tortoise shell products; nonsustainable fishing methods) 6. Scientific research on the turtle population of the Berau Archipelago. Indicators of success: amount of scientific publications at conferences and international scientific journals, number and significance of the measures taken and/or being modified for the protection of turtles due to the new insights. Page 23

24 2.6 Description of activities A. Securing and improvement of the basic project The basis of all our protection efforts is to maintain and to secure our previous and current activities into the future. This includes, above all, the smooth operation of the protection stations on Sangalaki, Samama, Bilang-Bilangan, and Mataha Island. For those operations, there are fixed expenses for the rangers salaries, provisions, the transport of people on sea and on land as well as potable water to the islands, the maintenance costs for the Turtle Foundation s two motor boats (fuel, service, and repairs), the maintenance and the fuel costs for power generators, station repairs, etc. The living standard of our employees during their often rather lonely work on the project islands is of critical importance to us. Therefore, we intend to convert the so far quite sparse accommodations on Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha Island by making them more comfortable and buy additional furniture. As well, the employees holiday entitlement (currently 48 days per year; weekends are not work-free) shall be expanded; this will make it necessary to employ more people to permanently maintain a complete team on the islands. Furthermore, smaller annual wage adjustments are necessary. Figures : Sparsely furnished protection station for 4 rangers on Mataha Island Turtle Foundation necessarily expends a great deal of effort in the pursuit of funding to secure continuous operation. To guarantee the sustainability of the protection program this has to be continued uninterrupted for the next decades. Our current activities are protecting approximately 75% of the turtle eggs on Berau Archipelago against poaching. The presence of our rangers has proven sufficient to deter thieves from the islands. It is now widely known that collecting and trading turtle eggs is illegal. Unfortunately, the awareness of the illegality of trade and consumption of eggs is again and again undermined by local rulers as it is a tradition in Berau to present eggs to high-ranking guests. It still happens on occasion that local government representatives demand turtle eggs when visiting the nesting islands. Budget estimation for these measures: Running expenses for the basic project 2011: ca ($181,400 USD) Upgrading of the stations on Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha: ca (once) ($35,700 USD) Page 24

25 B. Development and implementation of accompanying measures Sustainable nature conservation and species protection is not feasible without participation and assistance of the local population. However, protective measures often have an initial negative impact on the opportunities for income for the local population. In this specific case, egg collectors and turtle hunters lose their source of income; traders have losses because the sale of turtle products is illegal. Fishermen using dynamite and cyanide, who feed their families employing those destructive methods, have to go back to more traditional methods that are more laborious and less profitable in a short-term view. Unsustainable exploitation of marine resources often is a consequence of ignorance regarding complex ecological relationships as well as about possible alternatives. Therefore, an important step to resolve these issues is a comprehensive educational effort to convince the people of the necessity, and indeed the benefit, of protection measures. It must be taught that unsustainable use of natural resources will negatively impact the entire community in the long term, even if it brings advantages initially. We want to demonstrate that continuing to use sea turtles as sources of food and raw material can lead to their extinction we also want to illustrate that coral reefs and seagrass meadows are important breeding grounds for fish and, therefore, of particular importance for the many people who make their living from fishing. Their direct destruction by pollution and cyanide and bomb fishing, as well as the indirect damage of selectively killing species important to the ecosystems (as are sea turtles!) will in the long run lead to much more substantial losses for many more people than those measures that want to prevent just that. Because young people are most receptive for new ideas and carry them further into their families, we see the local schools as a primary target to raise environmental awareness. We want to reach this target group by providing teaching materials, school lectures and field trips to the project islands. For this year we plan two pilot programs of this kind for the elementary school of the island of Balikukup with trips to Bilang-Bilangan. With information leaflets, some of which are already in progress, we want to address primarily the adult population. Another important initiative is the creation of alternative sources of income. We saw the urgency of those measures on our project visit in December On one of our boat patrols we found a dead hawksbill turtle floating in the sea (Fig. 6) with its shell peeled from the carapace (this is done by pouring boiling water over the still-living turtle!!). On the same day we saw the result of this slaughter, as on the island of Derawan tortoise shell products were offered for sale, illegally but nevertheless openly. In discussions with the sellers, they proved quite receptive to the idea of selling alternative products. They would like to offer other self-produced souvenirs, but they lack access to appropriate materials and craftsmanship skills for production. We plan to improve this situation by offering craftsmanship and business training to the souvenir vendors. We have contact with a craftsmanship teacher in Jakarta who would like to come to Berau and offer workshops to the sellers, if sufficient funding is secured. Among other ideas, we are exploring the production of objects made from plastic waste (packaging), e.g. hand and shopping bags produced by hand-weaving techniques or patchwork sewings from fabric waste. Plastic waste also pollutes the beaches of the Derawan islands and offers, alas, an inexhaustible source of raw materials. The medium-term objective of this measure is to offer similar workshops on other inhabited islands (Maratua and Balikukup) and to assist the women in the establishment of cooperatives and in marketing of their products. The sale of tortoise shell products is illegal in Indonesia, and by law the products could be confiscated by the police. However, the authorities seem to lack both the will to Page 25

26 enforce the law, and even the understanding of why the law exists. Thus the souvenir sellers do not really feel that they are doing something wrong. We believe the creation of economic alternatives should precede threat of punishment or prosecution. Nevertheless, it is part of our strategy to encourage enforcement of the ban on the sale of turtle products. It is our goal to reach a balance and compromise to allow the acceptance of our project in the local population and to keep some pressure on the authorities to enforce existing law. Figure 28: Project leader Ahang talks with souvenir sellers on the island of Derawan. In addition to plastic waste another resource is found on the beaches: Due to excessive logging on the mainland of Borneo, large amounts of driftwood are washed onto the shores of the turtle nesting beaches. Those tree trunks are often large and can create insurmountable obstacles for nesting turtles in their search for appropriate nesting sites, as well as hatchlings trying to reach the sea. Currently, the driftwood is cut in pieces and burned by our employees; however, this wood is often of very high quality hardwood, and could be used to produce many products, which could be either traded amongst the local population for construction use, and/or sold as craft products to tourists. The crafts teacher from Jakarta could provide woodworking training to the community, as well. Budget estimation for these measures: ca (about $4270) in 2011, ca (about $6700) in 2012 Page 26

27 C. Improvement of the headquarters in Tanjung Redeb By expanding our protection program to the islands of Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha in 2007, it became necessary to set up an office and headquarters in the district capital of Tanjung Redeb. A small house was rented that served as office for our partner organization Yayasan Penyu Berau as well as intermediate storage facility for purchases to supply the islands. Additionally, the office served as a point of contact to local authorities and other NGOs. Fig. 29: Project headquarters in Tanjung Redeb Currently, however, the house is too small and is not sufficiently equipped with furniture and office equipment. Therefore, we plan to rent a slightly larger house which should be appropriately equipped. The supply of the project islands with staff, food, and fresh water, which is organized and controlled from the office, is carried out in two different ways: Sangalaki and Samama are directly approached with our supply boat from Tanjung Redeb in about 2 3 hours. To reach the islands of Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha, a car drive of 4 hours to the coastal village Lenggo is followed by a 2 3 hour boat ride with our second boat to the islands. In addition, our project islands have to be continuously supplied with fresh water. For this we rent larger boats that carry water in 10,000 liter tanks to the islands. During the rainy season, the ranger stations additionally collect rain water, which is diverted from the roofs into tanks. However, in the dry season the boats run supplies every few days. The smooth operation of both supply routes is critical to the success of the project work on the islands. To continue this success, the following measures are necessary. The supply boat for Sangalaki and Samama (fiberglass boat with 115 hp engine) was purchased in 2006 and will need to be replaced this year. Page 27

28 The land route from Tanjung Redeb to Lenggo is not continuously paved and can only be driven with four-wheel-drive cars in bad weather conditions. We have so far used rental vehicles, but 4x4 cars are not always available, which causes delays in supply delivery and hinders changeover of personnel. Therefore, we plan the purchase of our own project pickup with four wheel drive. Budget estimation for these measures: (once) ($57,000 USD) D. Extension of the protection program on the islands of Sambit and Belambangan The islands of Belambangan and Sambit are within sight of each other at the southern tip of the large Muaras reef. While Belambangan is about as big as Sangalaki, Sambit is small and equipped with a lighthouse, which is run by two officers stationed here by the Ministry for Communication and Information. The islands are the eastern outpost of the Berau archipelago to the open sea, and the little lighthouse on Sambit is actually a border post of the Indonesian territory, where the territorial waters of Malaysia and the Philippines meet Indonesia. Thus, the lighthouse is of strategic significance to the Indonesian government, although the island appears to be subject to erosion and has been shrinking in recent years. Both islands are important nesting beaches for the green sea turtle. According to statistics from eggs collected in the Berau Archipelago between 1985 and 2000, Belambangan accounts for approximately 13.7% of the turtle nests in the archipelago (Adnyana et al 2008). There are no data available for Sambit. Also according to that data set, nesting on Bilang-Bilangan accounted for 25.6 % of the nests, and Sangalaki 32.9%. However, the results of our surveys based on nest counts from indicate that the number of nests on Bilang-Bilangan is about a third larger than on Sangalaki! New data collection from Belambangan could also provide a positive surprise regarding the actual nesting numbers. But even according to conservative estimates based on old data, we can assume that with the inclusion of Belambangan and Sambit in our protection program, a total of at least 90% of turtle nests in the Berau Archipelago would be protected against poaching. Thus a sound basis for future population stabilization and recovery would be achieved in the archipelago. So far, however, poaching of turtle eggs continues unhindered on the islands of Belambangan and Sambit. The Derawan Islands and the Muaras reef belong to the so-called Coral Triangle, an area of exceptionally high marine biodiversity with the world's largest variety of corals and other marine animals. The Coral Triangle is currently the special focus of conservation efforts by several large organizations, but unfortunately these are progressing rather slowly. The Muaras Reef is one of the largest contiguous reef systems in Indonesia and an important food source for the hawksbill turtle. This incredible area is critically threatened by illegal activities such as dynamite and cyanide fishing. Recently, there have been reports from the Muaras reef area of an increase of fishing boats from Sulawesi, Madura, and China. In addition to fish, these vessels target sharks for finning, a fishery in which the fins are cut off from the still-living sharks to make shark fin soup, primarily for the Chinese market. Small, colorful fish are targeted for the aquarium trade, and sea turtles are caught and killed for both meat and turtle-shell products. These vessels and fisheries represent a threat to the reef ecosystem and directly to the turtles, as evidenced by several recent cases of large illegal driftnets found in the waters with several hundred dead turtles. Page 28

29 A monitoring station on Belambangan would allow for the first time the presence of a conservation organization in the sensitive ecosystem of the Muaras reef, which would provide a deterrent to these destructive activities, at least in the southern part of the reef. The Turtle Foundation is seeking sufficient funding to allow construction and staffing of a station on Belambangan from which regular patrols could be performed throughout the area of the reef, in order to allow recovery of this unique habitat from the effects of long-term overuse. Figure 30: A thunderstorm over the lighthouse on Sambit island The Turtle Foundation received government permission in late 2007 to build a station on Belambangan, from which Sambit also could be monitored. Unfortunately, the project has not been realized due to lack of sufficient funding. A key project goal for our protection program on the Derawan Islands is therefore the construction and operation of a station on Belambangan. It would not be necessary to build a separate station on Sambit as that already has a building which houses the lighthouse keeper and the island is sufficiently close to Belambangan that monitoring of Sambit can be done from Belambangan. The proposed new building would be designed for permanent habitation by 6 locally recruited and trained staff, as well as space for 2 guests. Since rainwater would be captured and used as drinking water, the roof must be covered by ceramic tiles, similar to the building on Sangalaki, which also keeps the indoor temperature cooler than a corrugated iron roof. The station would also be supplied with adequate furniture (tables, chairs, beds, cupboards, shelves), and kitchen equipment (stove, refrigerator, water dispenser, cooking and eating utensils, etc.). Two bathrooms are planned with connection to a small sewage plant for biological treatment of the wastewater. The beach protection (three patrols per day), the relocation of endangered nests, and the data collection will be carried out in accordance with the established protocol of the other project islands. Page 29

30 The food and supply logistics for Belambangan will be concurrent with supply to Bilang- Bilangan, as those islands are relatively close. For this purpose, and also for the daily crossing to Sambit (for at least one beach patrol per day), a small fiberglass boat with 40 hp engine will be purchased and used. A second, more traditional boat will be used to patrol the Muaras reef this boat will be slower, but as well as being more economical for fuel consumption, it will allow longer distance travel with a larger crew. For communication with the crew on the island, the boat will be equipped with a fixed VHF radio. Freshwater to Belambangan, as on the other islands, will be supplied on a regular basis by boat delivery, and supplemented with rainwater collection. Several storage tanks with a total capacity of at least 6,000 liters will be provided. A pump will transfer water from the ship to the storage tanks. Fig : Illustration of the seawater desalinator ORYX 150 Since in the summer months little rain falls and water transport to outlying islands is relatively expensive, we are also considering the use of desalinators. The usual method of reverse osmosis is not possible here as they consume a great deal of energy and are too susceptible to breaking down for use in such a remote area. However, we are evaluating as a possibility an innovative method, developed and distributed by the German company SolarSpring in co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Technology in Freiburg, Germany. Here salty or dirty water is cleaned after evaporation over a diaphragm without the use of external pressure (vapor diffusion for instance according to the Gore Tex principle). The energy for the evaporation is taken directly from the sun exposure. The system is easily maintained and has been proven in several experimental plants over several years. According to the specifications, continuous operation over 5 10 years is realistic before the membrane has to be changed. Since one unit produces about 150 liters of drinking per day, two such systems would be sufficient to provide fresh water for the Belambangan station. The power supply (lighting, refrigerator, radio, battery chargers) will be provided via a photovoltaic system available in the country. The solar panels will be mounted on the roof of the station. A sufficiently large set of lead-acid batteries and associated control systems will allow the consistent availability of sufficient electricity. A voltage converter and stabilizer will provide 12 V dc as well as usual 220 V ac. Outlets and power will be installed and available throughout the station. Ceiling lighting will use energy-saving lamps. An additional diesel generator will be included into the installation to supply backup power in the event of peak loads or failure of the solar power system. For proper operation of the station, various appliances and tools will be required. For communication with the other islands and to the patrol boat a radio transmitter will be Page 30

31 acquired (stationary VHF transceiver compatible with existing equipment, and two directional antennas to the stations on Sangalaki and Bilang-Bilangan, including voltage transformers). We will also need wood-working and other tools for maintenance and repair of the station. Patrol teams will need hand-held lights and head-lamps with red light settings (to minimize disturbance to nesting turtles) for nightly patrols. Lamps will be powered by rechargeable batteries, able to be charged on the station electricity system. A battery-operated emergency lamp will be available in the event of unexpected power outage. For at-sea monitoring from both the station and the boat, two pairs of binoculars are necessary. A small digital camera (shock- and water-resistant) will allow documentation of monitoring activities and events. A small laptop will be required for collection and organization of data. Finally, to provide employees with entertainment during their down time, books, radio, and a satellite television system would be purchased. As on other islands, a hatchery will be built in a suitable area near the station. Nests in danger of inundation or subject to other threats may be moved to the hatchery within a few hours of the nesting event. Hatchlings are released to the sea on the day of hatching. The hatchery will be protected with a sturdy wooden fence and lockable door to protect against poaching and predation by monitor lizards. Budget estimation for these measures: (once) ($128,500 USD) E. Visitor center and ecotourism project on Sangalaki Due to its proximity to the inhabited island of Derawan, where there is an exclusive dive resort as well as increasing numbers of private accommodations for individual travelers and backpackers, Sangalaki is becoming more popular and well known as a tourist destination. The spectacular world-class dive sites, and particularly the frequent sightings of manta rays, prompted the opening of Sangalaki Dive Lodge in the early 1990 s, although it is has since closed. The fact that turtles nest on Sangalaki every night was not a focus of tourism marketing for the resort, however that potential is still great. After the closing of Sangalaki Dive Lodge in 2008, the existing infrastructure fell into disrepair. A new investor is currently attempting another resort on Sangalaki. The construction and operating plans are being examined by the authorities, which also include the creation of an environmental impact report. The new operator plans to construct a "water village" where the guest bungalows, rather than being constructed on the island, are built over the lagoon and connected to the island by wooden walkways. The resort office, reception, restaurant and dive center would be built in the same location on the island as the previous resort. It may be possible to repair existing buildings. The new resort is intended to accommodate a maximum of 40 guests. Turtle Foundation recognizes that a resort on Sangalaki has both positive and negative aspects. Ideally for the turtles, of course, the island of Sangalaki would remain undeveloped and undisturbed, but this is unlikely and impractical. However, Turtle Foundation welcomes opportunities for employment of local people, particularly in a manner that encourages conservation and ecotourism. The legal ramifications for a resort development of the island are unclear although Sangalaki has conservation status as a Marine Park (Taman Wisata Laut) which is roughly equivalent to that of a local Page 31

32 recreation area, that designation does not exclude building under Indonesian law. The protection of the sea turtles could be maintained at least theoretically if construction and operation of the resort fulfill respective obligations. Figure 33: The main wooden pier out over the lagoon built in 2009; in the foreground is a turtle track. In discussions with the new operator, we have tried to explore to what extent they are willing to ameliorate the potential negative impacts of construction and operation, in order to make the resort as turtle-friendly as possible. Ostensibly, the operator has promised to cooperate with our local partner Yayasan Penyu Berau (Turtle Foundation Berau) and follow strict compliance with all conditions imposed in the pending Environmental Impact Statement. However, it is difficult to imagine the dive resort in full operation, with 40 people and about as many employees, having little negative impact on turtle nesting and clutch hatching. Possible negative impacts include: The return of introduced black rats with boats traffic to the island, particularly with the delivery of construction materials. Pollution of the lagoon through the sewage disposal from the bungalows Pollution of the island as a result of improper waste storage and disposal Disturbance of nesting turtles by new obstacles on the beach (beach furniture, water pipes, building materials, etc.) Disturbance of nesting turtles by people (guests and staff) who walk the beach after dark. Disorientation of the hatchlings as a result of artificial lights from the buildings visible from the beach (hatchlings orient to light, which in nature is the ocean water, but artificial lights can lure hatchlings in the wrong direction, which often results in death due to dehydration or predation). Turtle Foundation will try hard to assist in ensuring that the resort complies with all environmental and protection regulations, but also will report to the authorities if environmental specifications are violated. However, as long as the new resort operator obeys to the existing laws we will cooperate with him to maximize the ecotourism potential of the island in way that benefits the resort, the local community, and the turtles. Page 32

33 When the proper protocol is observed, it is possible to watch a female turtle laying her eggs without disturbing the turtle. In particular, only small groups lead by a trained guide, without use of bright light or flashlight can bring tourists to the beach in the evening to witness this incredible event. Examples from other more developed nesting areas with tourism show that well-organized "turtle-watching tours" can contribute a significant amount to the local community, without adverse effects on the turtle s behavior. Turtle Foundation hopes to incorporate these types of ecotourism at the new resort on Sangalaki, and thus increase the local people s appreciation of the sea turtles. The message to the local community is that a living turtle has long-term value as a tourist attraction and will supply the region with more income than the one-time products from that turtle s meat or shell could provide. In addition to hotel guests as a target group, Turtle Foundation hopes to attract domestic and foreign guests that would not be able to afford the high-end resort. Until recently it was not possible to take non-hotel guests on "turtle-watching tours" on Sangalaki, due to the lack of available infrastructure (food, restrooms, accommodations). We are currently working with the new owner on a plan for the resort to include a visitor center in a small part of the hotel building. Turtle Foundation in turn will equip the visitor center and provide informational materials. At the same time we want to encourage local community groups such as the NGO Bestari and local tour operators to become active in ecotourism opportunities. Turtle Foundation is willing and able to provide knowledge and training for turtle tour operators and provide support for promotional activities such as multi-lingual advertising. If the local Turtle Foundation (Yayasan Penyu Berau) thereby generates funds, these will be reinvested in local programs such as environmental education, training, workshops, etc. Figure 34: Sangalaki - A green sea turtle hatchling on the way to the sea Besides observing turtle nesting, guests will also have the opportunity to assist the rangers on their daily surveys or with their work in the hatchery, and to watch for any nest hatchings. With a little luck, in the late afternoon or early evening one may see the Page 33

34 hatchlings, like little wind-up toys, crawl out of one nest simultaneously and run across the beach to the sea. Another possible excursion is the boat ride out to the sea grass meadows at Pulau Panjang, where at low tide many turtles can be seen feeding in the clear and shallow water. These trips also have the advantage of deterring potential poachers from venturing into the area, where in June 2005 the driftnet was found with over 200 turtles drowned (Fig ). Concurrently, renovations should be done to the ranger station on Sangalaki, as well as to the BKSDA station on Samama which up until now is lacking in simple furnishings. Budget estimation for this measure: (once) ($10,000 USD) F. Accompanying scientific measures: data collection, scientific analysis and publication, research projects In order to maintain, expand, and appropriately target protection activities, we are in critical need of basic information about life history, population biology, and role of the sea turtles in the marine ecosystem of the Derawan archipelago. Since the beginning of our activity in the Derawan archipelago we have collected various data on nesting activities of sea turtles. Data has been collected intermittently since 2000, and continuously since With the goal of scientifically evaluating the data, biologist Dr. Thomas Reischig joined Turtle Foundation in 2010, and visited the Derawan islands together with program director Dr. Hiltrud Cordes in December Dr. Reischig initiated a professional analysis of Turtle Foundation s data, and the initial results have important implications for our protection efforts. The new results demonstrate the importance of the Derawan archipelago as one of the world s largest nesting sites for green turtles. Through publication of these and other results at international scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals we also hope for increased fundraising ability, leading to increased benefits for the protection of the turtles. After finishing evaluation of our data plan to publish our results in an international peerreviewed journal in fall We then will reconsider single aspects of our data collecting methods and adjust them according to our new insights, if necessary. Our goal is uninterrupted, continuous data collection during our project activites. Already we probably possess one of the longest uninterrupted data records of the development of a sea turtle population in the whole of Indonesia. While in other places, especially in North, Central, and South America, and in the Mediterranean, single sea turtle populations have been continuously and thoroughly monitored for decades, Indonesia is in this regard still almost uncharted scientific territory. Our activities in the Derawan archipelago provide a good basis to enhance the so far scarce knowledge about the biology of sea turtles in Indonesia. Future research projects carried out or supported by the Turtle Foundation should be implemented in collaboration with scientists from the Indonesian universities of Samarinda, Bogor, and Denpasar. Within our protection program on Cape Verde (West-Africa) we recently started cooperation with IFM/Geomar, the Institute of Marine Research of Kiel (Germany). It is planned to extend this cooperation to our Indonesian project. Many questions are scientifically significant as well as important for the continuation of our projects for the protection of sea turtles in the Derawan archipelago: Page 34

35 First, it would be very important to know the age structure of the nesting turtles in the Derawan archipelago. The decades-long egg exploitation has skewed the age structure and the current juvenile population of green turtles is too small to replace natural and other losses of the adult population; this is the main reason for the decline of the mature green turtle population in the last decades. We therefore hypothesize that the population of mature green turtles in the Derawan archipelago is considerably over-aged. This would considerably influence the prognosis of the future population development and has direct impact on the planning of appropriate protection measures. Further, it is of paramount importance to learn the foraging habitats of the green turtles nesting and hatching in the Derawan archipelago. So far there are only a few clues about that, mostly derived from a study where three female green turtles were equipped with satellite transmitters (Adnyana et al. 2008). There, it was possible to trace the migratory routes of the animals for about three months. One animal headed to the southern Philippines, while the other two migrated along the shores to the waters around the northern tip of Borneo. However, it is doubtful whether these animals reached their final feeding grounds within the observation period. Newer devices for satellite telemetry allow continuous monitoring for more than a year, and therefore would provide more information about the exact location of the feeding grounds. This would, among other things, allow stronger and more effective networking with other organizations that are involved in turtle protection in the areas which affect Derawan archipelago s green turtle population. Projects involving satellite telemetry are very effective, however, they are quite expensive; the expenses for one animal equipped with a satellite transmitter would be around 2,000 3,500 ($ USD). When they reach maturity, sea turtles return to their own places of birth to nest after many years of migration. However, there are variations in the site fidelity of different species and populations. It is not yet known whether the Derawan turtles always return to the beach of their birth, or whether they return to the general area and may nest on other islands than their natal beach. We assume that there is certain variability in the choice of nesting beaches, but the question becomes even more complex considering the fact that within a single nesting season (a female green turtle in the Derawan archipelago nests approximately every three years) the animals lay about 4 5 clutches of eggs in intervals of about 12 days. Does a turtles lay all nests of a season on the same island or does she change islands for egg laying? If the turtle changes islands, is this influenced by external factors? These questions are not only of scientific interest, but have direct impact on our protection program and enable us to adapt it to varying conditions in an effective manner. These questions could be best answered with the use of satellite telemetry, and therefore could be combined with the project mentioned above. However, another possibility might be the use of much cheaper VHF-transmitters; because of the short distances within the archipelago, location of the animals via satellite could be replaced by triangulation. The main advantage would be the possibility that at the same costs about 10 times more animals could be monitored, thus delivering results that are statistically better supported. A classical mark-recapture program may also be used to address these issues; however, results would be only of limited explanatory power since not all islands of the archipelago are continuously monitored, and turtles landing on unmonitored islands would not be registrated. The entire area of the Derawan islands covering over a million hectares was declared as a future marine protective zone (KKL Kawasan Konservasi Laut) by the Indonesian ministry of Marine Affairs and Fishery, Department of Marine Protected Areas. It will undoubtedly be several years before zoning of the protection areas and management planning will take place. However, we see a big opportunity for our data and research approaches to significantly contribute to the future planning of this important marine protection reserve. Page 35

36 Currently, we are developing the theoretical and practical bases for these projects. This planning together with analysis and publication of the existing data; planning, implementation, and supervision of scientific projects; as well as general and technical aspects of project coordination are the responsibility of biologist Dr. Thomas Reischig. These measures are not yet included in our budget. Page 36

37 2.7 Time schedule Quartals 2011 Quartals 2012 actions / periods Europe und USA: fundraising / management of current projects / public relation Indonesia: work on current projects Enhancement of the stations on Bilang-Bilangan and Mataha, installation of photovoltaic energy supply Rental of new office rooms in Tanjung Redeb + equipment of the new projekt headquarters Extension of the protection program to the islands of Belambangan und Sambit Installation and operation of a visitor center on the island of Sangalaki Workshops and environmental education programs Project visits Figure 35: Restaurant named Waiting Patiently (island of Balikukup) Page 37

38 2.8 Sustainability of the project Our conservation project is planned to last several decades. We are working toward having as many project-related tasks as possible administrated and carried out by our Indonesian partner organization Yayasan Penyu Berau. This includes striving for a gradual financial independence of the YPB from the western departments of the Turtle Foundation. However, it is not expected that in the foreseeable future YPB will alone be able to procure the necessary funds to run the project. Knowledge, experience, and success of the Turtle Foundation in fundraising from private donors and sponsors, foundations, and governmental institutions have been continuously expanded and improved within the last 11 years of our activity. We thus have a reasonable expectation of continuing our fundraising success in the future. As a result of our successful financial history, the dedicated work of our local employees, and the support of our work by the local authorities, we feel our project to be sustainable into the future. In the long run we aim for finding new sources of funding for our protection program (here we see the greatest potential in eco-tourism), but also plan to eventually hand over the responsibility for the protection of the turtles and their marine habitats to those in the local community - the Indonesian authorities, the local population, and local NGOs. We hope to see the integration of the sea turtle protection program into the management of the planned marine reserve. As a consequence of our environmental education programs we expect, in the long run, more responsible management of natural resources by the local people, as well as an enhanced awareness of the vital necessity of preserving intact marine ecosystems. Our measures to create alternative income opportunities for local communities are designed to be run by their operators and employees on their own after an initial start-up phase supported by us. Figure 36: Green turtle resting in a coral reef at Maratua Page 38

39 3. Literature cited Adnyana W, Pet Soede L, Gearheart G, Halim M (2008): Status of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting and foraging populations of Berau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, including results from tagging and telemetry. Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter 7, 2 11 Kuiper-Linley M, Johnson CR, Lanyon JM (2007): Effects of simulated green turtle regrazing on seagrass abundance, growth and nutritional status in Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 58, Mortimer JA, Donnelly M (2008): Eretmochelys imbricata. In: IUCN IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version Reischig T, Basuki NR, Moord VA, Cordes H, Latorra L (2011): Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Berau archipelago: Population assessment, nesting activities, and protection status. 31 st Conference of the International Sea Turtle Society, San Diego Schulz JP (1984): Turtle conservation strategy in Indonesia. IUCN/WWF Report. Seminoff JA (2004a): Chelonia mydas. In: IUCN IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version Seminoff JA (2004b) MSTG global assessment of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) for the IUCN Red List. IUCN Species Survival Commission, April 2004 Spotila JR (2004): Sea Turtles: A complete guide to their biology, behavior, and conservation. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Figure 39: Morning beach walk on the island of Sangalaki Page 39