A t regional level, Indonesia w ith the other m em ber countries o f A SEA N , also signed the M oU A SEA N /SEA FD EC on the C onservation and M anagem ent o f M arine Turtles. To follow up this MoU, Indonesia should develop an Action Plan to conserve and manage sea turtles and their habitats in Indonesia. Further regional cooperation has also been established through an international workshop in Manila in March 2001, which was attended by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to formulate jo in t vision to conserve m arine biodiversity and eco-region in Sulu Sea and Sulaw esi Sea. The concept o f m arine eco-region conservation focuses not only on the m anagem ent to conserve and utilize natural resources based on m arine species and their habitats in an individual basis, but also includes broader aspects that m ay affect conserving areas such as socio-economics and culture o f related communities including their possible threats (Dermawan, 2004).
O ther regional cooperation has been continually set up, such as those resulting from the South Pacific Regional Environm ent Program on Sea Turtle C onservation o f 1989; TIHPA; CITES Conference held in N airobi in 2000; M em orandum o f Understanding o f ASEAN and Indian Ocean w hich was held in 2000; and Inter-American Convention on the protection and conservation o f sea turtles in force w hich was held in 2001.
CONSERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF SEA TURTLES IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGION
Figure 6. Variation of Green Turtles Tagged and Recaptured at Sukamade Beach, Meru Betiri National Park, Indonesia (Source: Wiadnyana, 2004)
Figure 7. Satellite Telemetry Tracking of Leatherbacks in Jamursba Medi Beach, Papua (Source : WWF-Indonesia)
The DNA analysis from tissue samples o f hawksbill in collaboration with Kyushu University, Fukuoka Japan, and the M inistry o f Forestry o f Republic o f Indonesia is being conducted. Indonesia has also collaborated with NGOs in the conservation o f sea turtles. The NGOs are W W F-Indonesia,W W F- M alaysia, W W F-Philippines and IUCN (Dermawan, 2004).
Research Activities
Due to the widespread distribution and species diversity o f sea turtles in Indonesian waters, studies are limited on their biology and its m anagem ent, particularly hawksbills. M ost sea turtles studies
INDONESIA
have lasted a short time and were confined to the nesting beaches on Java and nearby islands. Some authors just obtained little information available from limited studies (Nuitja and Akmad, 1982; Sam and Halim, 1984 and Kithchener, 1996). Consequently, the data on population sizes and dynamics, including the ecology and behavior, w hich support the m anagem ent o f sea turtles conservation, are still lacking. The past experiences show ed that the conservation o f several sea turtles has been initiated with varying success.
In order to produce inform ation required by the governm ent o f Indonesia to establish better m anagem ent on sea turtles, a collaboration w ork has been done with several governm ent agencies and N GO s to conduct the on-going research activities on bio-ecology and monitoring including:
• Survey o f stocks and identification o f m ajor nesting sites and foraging areas;
• Identification o f migratory routes and geographical ranges o f population;
• Conservation practices on nesting beaches;
• Captive breeding and ranching;
• Trade monitoring; and identification and monitoring o f incidental catch o f fishing activities on sea turtles; and
• Determination o f the im pact o f coastal fisheries on the sea turtle populations.
The data on the ecology o f turtles are needed for its conservation efforts, w hich w ould be obtained progressively with the increasing interest on sea turtles studies in Indonesia. Head starting and tagging activities have been done in several conservation areas such as: T housand Island N ational Park (TINP), M eru Betiri N ational Park, Alas Purwo N ational P a rk , Pengum bahan Beach and Cikepuh Wildlife Reserve. Currently and in the near future, monitoring post-nesting migration for hawksbill turtles w ill be done in TINP, Java Sea, and Jam ursba-M edi B each in Papua for leatherbacks.
R esearch activities on turtle biology and population dynam ics are vitally im portant to provide knowledge and information upon w hich to base successful management. In the past, the research on sea turtles w as limited. Currently, there is an increasing interest am ong governm ent agencies, universities, NGOs and the private sector for sea turtles research. This is a positive sign in improving the database on sea turtles, w hich m ay im prove m anagem ent and conservation o f sea turtles in Indonesia. In order to achieve good results on sea turtle conservation and enhancement program in Indonesia, collaboration w ork w ith experts from foreign countries, especially from A SEAN , is needed. Several research institutions and N G O s are currently involved in sea turtles research in Indonesia. They are the R esearch C enter For C apture Fisheries (RCCF), the A gency for M arine and Fisheries Research under the Ministry o f Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Bogor Agriculture University, W W F-Indonesia and the A lam Lestari Foundation.
Key persons who are actively involve in sea turtles issues in Indonesia are listed as follows:
1. Mr. Agus Dermawan
Directorate o f Conservation and National M arine Park, DG o f Coastal and Small Island,
Ministry o f Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Jalan M erdeka Timur No. 16
Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia.
Tel: 62-21-3522045 Fax: 62-21-3522560
E-mail: agusder81@hotmail.com
CONSERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF SEA TURTLES IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGION
2. Dr. Ngurah N. Wiadnyana
Research Centre, A gency for M arine and Fisheries Research, Ministry o f Marine Affairs and Fisheries,
J l . Pasir Putih I, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia.
Tel: 62-21-64711940/6459615 Fax: 62-21-6402640
E-mail: purispt@indosat.net.id
wiadnyana_ngurah@hotmail.com
Ahmad Ali, Zulkifli Talib, Paul Basintal and James Bali
Leatherback Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea