Kurma Asih Turtle Conservation Project - Bali
Bali is one of the smaller Indonesian islands, but economically very important. It is an island where religion is an important part of life, and where the turtle represents a significant symbol in Hindu cosmology. The Indo-Pacific region supports six of the seven known species of marine
turtle that nest on beaches within the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the
world. These species are leatherback, green turtles, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead, and flatback. Of these species, the green turtle is the predominant target species for the turtle trade in Indonesia, and is the preferred species for consumption. Even after the Indonesian government listed sea turtles as protected species, it was estimated that as many as 10 - 30,000 turtles were being harvested each year to supply local and overseas markets.
In Bali, where Hinduism is practiced by a large majority of the population, turtles have traditionally been sacrificed for religious rituals. Turtle meat was also consumed in some parts of the island. Consequently, the turtle population declined drastically, and reported nestings in Bali became rare. Due to the intensive harvesting of marine turtles in the Indo-Pacific, an active law enforcement and education program was initiated by WWF working with the Balinese government.
Kurma Asih is a project at Perancak Village, in the west Balinese district of Jembrana. It was established to protect turtles and to educate school children and other visitors about turtle conservation. It is a local community initiated and managed project. The need for urgent action on recovering turtles in the Perancak area was recognised by Mr Wayan Tirta, (a community leader and former turtle hunter) in 1997, when turtles returned to the beach after a 40-year absence. The name of the Perancak turtle conservation group they established is ‘Kurma Asih’ which means 'Turtle Love' in Balinese. The group has been so successful, that the number of nests saved has risen steadily from the first 4 nests relocated in 1997 to more than 450 nests in 2010. The total number of hatchlings released since 1997 is over 110,000.
Adopt a nest program
The adopt-a-nest program initiated with the help of WWF is now run entirely by the Perancak community with the support of Envirofriends at Murdoch University and other groups. The aim of the program is to transfer nests found along the 15 km stretch of beach at Perancak to a protected enclosure close to nesting beaches where the hatchlings are released after an incubation period of approximately 50-60 days.The adopt-a-nest program depends upon visitor and outside donor contributions to maintain the program. Adopters receive a certificate of adoption, and the donor's name is affixed to a sign labelling each active nest of eggs. This indicates the original nest site, the number of eggs and anticipated hatching date. Donors are encouraged to come to Perancak to release the hatchlings.
The money generated from the program is used to support beach patrols for the five-month nesting period from May through September, translocation of the nests to a protected enclosure, hatchery maintenance and education programs run by Kurma Asih.
For further information on the Kurma Asih turtle conservation group, see the documentary by Catherine Mills about the Kurma Asih project on Youtube: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=6NH1CevLaoA
For further information on the Envirofriends nest adoption program, contact
Bec Donaldson:
To arrange a tour to Perancak, including a visit to the Kurma Asih conservation project and turtle release, contact the Village Ecotourism Network (JED):
