Letter: Protect the green turtle!

Mon, 11/03/2008 10:18 AM  |  Reader's Forum

Pangumbahan beach, near Ujung Genteng, Sukabumi, is West Java's most prolific and famous nesting ground for the giant green sea turtle.

The area south of and around this beach is a Green Belt zone prohibiting any developments at all -- there to prevent the disturbance and degradation of the green sea turtles' nesting ground.

Coastal development and habitat loss is one of the major factors threatening the sea turtle population. In 2005, Indonesia signed an agreement called the IOSEA which stands for "The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their habitats of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia".

By signing this agreement, Indonesia is committed "to protect, conserve, help replenish and recover marine turtle populations and their habitats".

The Pangumbahan beach turtle conservation center successfully manages the nesting turtle population by regulating the many visitors to the reserve, such that they can experience the turtle nesting ritual without undue disturbance to the animals, and incubating the eggs and releasing young turtles safely back into the sea after they have hatched.

In 2006/7, two large villas were built right on the shoreline at the south end of Pangumbahan beach, in the Green Belt land. There are plans to expand building in this area, with more new private villas already under construction.

There is an urgency to take action as soon as possible to prevent unlicensed coastal development in this sensitive and important turtle conservation area, to protect one of the few functioning turtle conservation and nesting sites remaining in west Java.

To date no action is apparent from any government agency, despite evidence the turtles' nesting is adversely affected by this ongoing and expanding development.

NICK ANDREW
Jakarta

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