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Sumenggaring Budi Laksono: Breeding turtles, conserving the environment
(JP/Nedi Putra AW)The sea is source of livelihood for Sumenggaring Budi Laksono, a fisherman of Sitiarjo village, Sumbermanjing Wetan district, Malang regency, East Java
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(JP/Nedi Putra AW) (JP/Nedi Putra AW)
(JP/Nedi Putra AW)
The sea is source of livelihood for Sumenggaring Budi Laksono, a fisherman of Sitiarjo village, Sumbermanjing Wetan district, Malang regency, East Java.
He is one of the few who care about environmental conservation and has initiated turtle breeding on a self-supporting basis.
'We can't take everything from nature without giving something back in return. Turtles help maintain coral reefs as the habitat of fish. The southern coast of Malang regency is known for its lobsters, skipjacks and red snappers,' said Enggar, as the man born in Sitiarjo on Feb. 2, 1972, is commonly called.
He said when he was fishing in Watuleter and Bajul Mati beach areas in Sitiarjo in 2007 with his fellow fishermen, they found turtles. Curiosity prompted Enggar, a chemical engineering vocational school graduate, to consult various books and websites on the reptile.
He also sought more information from Sutari, 40, a turtle hunter on Bajul Mati beach, who finally joined his turtle captive breeding effort. 'I feel concerned as turtles are only caught for their flesh to be sold at Rp 75,000 (US$6.75) per kilogram, while their eggs cost Rp 1,000 per egg,' he pointed out.
The fact the animal is among the country's endangered species made him even more determined to draw up a concept of community based turtle conservation.
Not all his peers and local residents supported the plan, though. Some regarded him as just boasting and even crazy.
Undaunted, Enggar invited Sutari to set up a team called Pantai Selatan Rescue (PSR), which he deemed important to help people in frequently flooded parts of Sitiarjo while communicating the idea of conservation to the coastal community.
Sutari, living in the Bajul Mati area, notified when turtles would be arriving and laying eggs. 'I'm only carrying on the tradition of my parents, who are local fishermen that are quite familiar with coastal water conditions,' said the skilled diver.
Enggar's study discovered the theory that turtles returned to their places of origin after roaming the sea for as long as 12 years. 'It is disastrous if their areas of origin change due to abrasion or human behavior. They will forget and perhaps can't find their way back again,' he said.
So the father of three realized his concept of self-supporting captive breeding with around 900 turtle eggs, later known to be those of grey turtles gathered from the beaches of Bajulmati, Watuleter and Gua Cina during March to August.
Hatching turtles were put into plastic containers with some sea water and placed in his kitchen and a vacant room on the second floor. Not all the eggs produced tukik (baby turtles) after 40-60 days, which he had to feed three times a day with 1.5 kilograms of chopped skipjacks costing Rp 20,000 per kilograms.
By mid-October, 190 young turtles had survived in his house out of 300, the oldest being 3.5 months. Three-month-old turtles can already consume algae and are ready to be released into their habitat.
Unwilling to reveal his expenses for turtle feed and transportation, Enggar said: 'I can still set aside my income from selling fish. My family fully supports this activity because it's for our future.'
As chairman of the Sitiarjo Southern Coast Community Control Group, Enggar said he had coordinated with several agencies from Perhutani (a state forestry company) to the Indonesian Navy to carry out the conservation plan.
His endeavors were eventually rewarded as the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office of Malang regency provided aid worth Rp 90 million through its coastal village development program.
'The funds will be spent on conservation equipment like a boat and power generator, excluding operational costs,' he said.
On Oct. 16, around 30 3-month-old turtles were finally released for the first time on Watuleter beach, Sitiarjo. The next release is slated for early November, with some officials attending.
But he hopes subsequent releases of young turtles will be modestly done without involving many people. 'To achieve the aim of conservation itself, the beach where they're released should be maintained so as not to become a tourism spot that may spoil the ecosystem,' Enggar added.
Nonetheless, he is obsessed with creating a maritime tourism village with a different perspective, where tourists can watch turtles laying eggs in their habitat while enjoying the beauty of the sea by diving. To this end, lodging houses or homestay facilities should be prearranged to prevent visitors from disturbing the conservation project.
In the meantime, Enggar, along with his peers, is continuing to protect the coastal environment through his turtle breeding undertaking, with no precise idea yet as to when his dreams will come true.
