Collaboration for Conservation: Against the Illegal Trade of Sea Turtle Eggs in Kalimantan

ProFauna Indonesia has been successfully working for the protection of sea turtles in Bali Island for more than 10 years and proven to be successful. Between the 1970's and 1990's, Bali had been notorious as the hub of sea turtle smuggling with 27,000 sea turtles were slaughtered per year. Thanks to ProFauna's continued campaign works against the trade and hands on project on some beaches in Bali from saving the nesting sea turtles, relocate the eggs, to releasing the babies to the sea; the trade has fallen more than 80% and Bali has now been haven for sea turtles to lay their eggs. Not only in Bali, ProFauna also works against the illegal trade of sea turtles and the body parts or by products in other islands Java, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan.

For the last Island, ProFauna has been conducted an investigation into the illegal trade of sea turtle eggs which report was launched last year, 15^th December 2010, uncovering the facts that the sea turtle eggs were rampantly sold on coastal areas of the vast Island in Indonesia. It was estimated that 100,000 eggs were traded there and some even smuggled to the neighboring country, Malaysia.

Following the investigation, ProFauna has been actively encouraging the related government to take actions against the sea turtle egg trade. The organisation has also invited its partners, supporters, and volunteers, to send letter to the government urging them to curb the trade. As a result; on 1st February 2011; ProFauna met the government represented by officials from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Forestry Ministry, and the Internal Affairs Ministry; to discuss about the action plans to reduce the trade.

The meeting resulted some positive responds from the government: the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry would report the progress of the trade to the President, and expressed that the government would respond seriously to the trade; the Forestry Ministry would order the subordinate agencies in Kalimantan to curb the trade; while the Internal Affairs Ministry would instruct the Governors and Regents in Kalimantan to take actions against the trade.

ProFauna applauds the government's response to the conservation efforts to reduce the illegal trade of sea turtle eggs in Kalimantan. However, ProFauna will keep encouraging them to fully enforce the law.

Related links

• The Illegal Trade of Sea Turtle Egg in Kalimantan
• ProFauna's video documentation complementing the report