For over 20 years, dedicated rangers have been caring for the protected zone off Jakarta’s north coast. They spend three weeks of each month without Internet access or electricity on the uninhabited islet of Penjaliran Timur – where they monitor critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle nests.
Penjaliran Timur is part of Penjaliran’s restricted zone – and home to the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), whose favorite nesting grounds include the beaches of Peteloran Timur and Peteloran Barat (also uninhabited and in the restricted zone).
Using a wooden paddle boat, an important part of the rangers’ daily routine is to travel the relatively short distance from Penjaliran Timur to the nesting areas in order to collect newly laid Hawksbill Turtle eggs. The precious eggs are brought back to Penjaliran Timur, where the rangers carefully bury them in the sand near the guard post, to keep them safe from poachers.
But despite daily heroic efforts, the rangers are not always successful at rescuing the Hawksbill Turtle eggs: Although they can spot the poachers through binoculars from Penjaliran Timur, by the time they reach the nesting grounds via wooden paddle boat, the poachers are long gone – using speedboats.
The Hawksbill Turtle population has been decimated by egg theft, and adult turtles are hunted to make decorative trinkets out of their shells. The species is also under threat due to loss of coral reef communities, which are a food source and habitat for the turtles.
Devoted to the islands
Although lacking a sufficient number of rangers and outmatched by the poachers’ speedboats, this small team remains determined.
“If no local people want to protect their own islands, who else will?” was the response of a ranger interviewed by The Jakarta Post. He says working at the park is a “natural call of duty” and he has been there since 1988.
Another ranger said he was not at home when his children were born. He added that the trip to Jakarta is a five hour ride, and the government doesn’t send a speedboat every day. But he has been caring for his beloved islands since 1986.
Expanding ecotourism to Penjaliran Timur
Recently, there has been talk of expanding ecotourism in Penjaliran Timur by Joko Prihatno, head of the Thousand Islands Marine Park. According to The Jakarta Post, he is planning a research facility and a new dock in Penjaliran Timur. At the moment, speedboats must dock about 490 feet from the shore and a wooden paddle boat is used for access.
Joko would like to see the development of tourism sector focus on protecting the islands’ marine ecosystem, and believes that opening the islet to would provide additional options to visitors who wished to conduct ecosystem research.
He points to the past success with the reef plantations established in Pulau Panggang, which reduced coral reef exploitation and attracted visitors who wished to learn about reef planting. The reef plantation also increased monthly earnings for local fishermen.
Too ambitious?
Expansion in the area sounds ambitious, especially considering the sharp decline in Thousand Islands Marine Park tourism.
The number of tourists dropped more than 50% since 1998, following the country’s economic crisis – and only five of the nine resorts on 45 islands are still in business.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattkk/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
