[Kabar-indonesia] "A Touching Moment" as Bali Opens Turtle Conservation Facility [+Rawajati]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: JP: Women's group makes Rawajati award-winning ecotourism spot 

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Serangan opens a model conservation facility 

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Serangan

photo: A young girl watches sea turtle hatchlings kept at the 
Turtle Conservation and Education Center research facility. 
(JP/I Wayan Juniartha) 

Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha seemed to be enjoying himself. He constantly 
broke into a smile or a hearty laugh -- a rare display from the stoic Beratha, 
more known for his soft voice and calm temper than displays of jocularity.

"I am happy, quite happy. I think we are moving in the right direction. 
Hopefully, in the near future we will be able to restore the image of this island 
as Turtle Island," 
he said, standing on the beach at Serangan Island last Thursday. 

Similar joy was shared by scores of high-ranking officials and NGO leaders, 
including the executive director of WWF (the Worldwide Fund for Nature) 
Indonesia, Mubariq Ahmad. 

The reason for their exultation lay a few meters away. Over 200 sea turtle 
hatchlings traversed the warm sands of Serangan Island. Soon, they were embraced 
by the oncoming waves and the tiny creatures commenced their fateful journey 
into the seemingly boundless ocean. 

"It's really a touching moment," head of the Bali's Agency for Environmental 
Impact Control (Bapedalda) Ni Wayan Sudji said. 

She paused for a moment as she realized some of the hatchlings were too weak 
to ride the waves. Sudji moved forward, picked up a stranded hatchling and 
warned the others to watch their steps. 

"Be careful, you don't want to crush this adorable hatchlings with your 
boots, do you?," she said. 

The others, including the governor, followed her lead. Braving the splashing 
waves and strong winds, they released the hatchlings right behind the waves, 
giving them a better starting point for their journey. 

The release of the hatchlings was the highlight of the opening ceremony of 
the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC). The center was conceived, 
built and managed by the people of Serangan with technical and financial 
assistance provided by the government of Bali and WWF Indonesia. 

"It is a fine example of how good, mutually beneficial cooperation between 
the community, the government and NGOs can produce a significant boost for the 
eradication of the illegal sea turtle trade and poaching," WWF's Mubariq Ahmad 
said. 

In the heyday of the trade in the 1980s and 1990s, over 20,000 sea turtles 
were brought from various areas in Indonesia to Serangan and Tanjung Benoa. The 
illegal trade also played a critical part in the demise of the turtle 
population in Serangan Island's offshore areas. 

"Because of the trade, various international NGOs portrayed Serangan and Bali 
as the turtle's slaughterers. That label tarnished the image of Bali and 
threatened the future of our tourism industry," Dewa Beratha said. 

Standing on 29 acres of land, the TCEC comprises an exhibition building, a 
semi-artificial nesting facility and a research facility. It is the first of its 
kind in the country. 

"TCEC is specifically designed to serve as a tourist attraction as well as an 
education and research facility," TCEC coordinator I Wayan Geriya said. 

A native of Serangan, Geriya was the primary force behind the establishment 
of TCEC and the eradication of the illegal turtle trade on the island. 

"As a tourist attraction, the TCEC will provide the locals with new 
employment opportunities and a new financial source for the village. Alternative jobs, 
particularly for former turtle poachers and traders, are critical in 
eradicating illegal sea turtle trade," he said. 

The tourists will have the opportunity to learn about different species of 
sea turtle in the exhibition building, visit the semi-artificial nests, observe 
the beautiful turtles kept in ten separate ponds in the research facility or 
participate in the release of hatchlings. 

"So far, we have released over 500 hatchlings to the ocean. We are keeping 
less than 50 turtles for educational and research purposes," he said. 

"I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the people of Serangan. 
TCEC, I believe, will be a model facility for a community-based, 
environmentally-friendly tourism facility," Dewa Beratha added. 

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The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Women's group makes Rawajati award-winning ecotourism spot 

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

photo: Best Front Yard: Waryoto, a retired soldier, tends the plants in front 
of his house in Rawajati subdistrict, South Jakarta. The garden, which he 
takes care of with his wife, received an award last year for the best home garden 
in the city. (JP/Adisti Sukma Sawitri) 

When Niniek Nuryanto and the women in her family welfare group (PKK) in 
Rawajati subdistrict, Pancoran, South Jakarta, began asking residents in 2001 to 
plant seven different plants in their gardens, she never thought it would lead 
to an overhaul of her community.

Not only did her administrative unit (RW) 03 start receiving awards for being 
environmentally friendly, but the community began reaping rewards from its 
agricultural products and ecotourism activities. 

"I started it with faith and commitment to the neighborhood. Surprisingly, 
not only the women but almost all the men in our neighborhood got involved in 
our activities," she said. PKK is mainly a women's group. 

Five years later the densely populated kampong -- some 12.5 hectares of land 
providing homes for 3,317 residents -- is surrounded by many varieties of 
blossoming trees, fruits and ornamental plants, and attracts over a dozen animal 
species. 

It was therefore appropriate that RW 03 Rawajati won the city 
administration's award for the best of 2,900 RW in the province last year. Nationally, it 
took second place for the award for clean and environmentally friendly villages 
in 2005. 

In June 2005, Governor Sutiyoso officially declared RW 03 Rawajati an 
agrotourism destination, giving it the name of Rawajati Agrotourism Kampong. 

Niniek's PKK also took the best award from the Jakarta administration in 
2005. 

"Mrs Sutiyoso said that we received an A-plus grade for our PKK. The plus is 
because we cooperated with the men and asked them to participate in our 
activities," Niniek, who previously attended agricultural college, said. 

The PKK is now coordinating three agricultural groups in the neighborhood, 
conducting agricultural planting, ecotourism, and post-harvest production. The 
activity has also been taken up by the families of Army veterans, who comprise 
60 percent of the neighborhood. 

The three groups generate a monthly income of Rp 250,000 (about US$27) to Rp 
5 million. 

Ecotourism division head, Awarso, who is also a retired soldier, said he had 
no scruples about having a woman as a leader, since Niniek had proven she 
could deliver. 

"Her efforts have greatly benefited us, so why should I react against her 
leadership," he said. 

Ever since the awards started coming, more than 5,000 tourists have visited 
the kampong, Awarso said, explaining that visitors were taken around to inspect 
how the surrounding environment was arranged, by observing family gardens, 
public parks and plant-breeding plots. 

For each visit, a visitor pays between Rp 5,000 to Rp 15,000 for snacks and 
lunch, which are provided by the locals. And many go home bringing plant 
seedlings and locally made products like jamu (traditional herbal tonic) bought from 
residents. 

A variety of plant seedlings are available for those interested in herbal 
drugs such as mosquito repellent zotia, or mahkota dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa) a 
herb that is said to cure some diseases, which costs only Rp 10,000 a pack. 

Despite the overwhelming support from her neighborhood, Niniek said a small 
number of men were against her efforts. 

"I don't want to listen to their complaints, because I realize that PKK 
cannot satisfy all residents in the neighborhood. I hold on to the fact that many 
more people are benefiting from our activities," she said confidently. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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