Our project “Saving the Indian Ocean’s Nesting Leatherbacks, Indonesia” has been nominated for funding from the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA). The project with the most votes will receive up to €30,000 in support. With your vote, you can directly help ensure a future for Indonesia’s endangered leatherback turtles. Every vote counts!
An Endangered Species in the Indian Ocean
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest sea turtle in the world – and also one of the most endangered. On the Indonesian islands of Sipora (Mentawai) and Nias, a small and little-known subpopulation nests. Classified by the IUCN as Data Deficient, very little is known about its numbers and development. However, their future is at risk: egg poaching, the hunting of females for their meat, and the loss of nesting beaches due to tourism development threaten their survival.
Leatherback hatchling on the beach
Our Goal: Protecting Leatherback Turtles and Supporting Local Communities
Together with our partner organization Yayasan Penyu Indonesia, the Turtle Foundation works to safeguard leatherback nesting sites in Indonesia. Within this conservation project, we are training twelve community rangers who will conduct nightly patrols throughout the nesting season across 36 hectares of beach. They will protect 100% of nesting females and relocate all eggs to guarded or fenced beach areas—known as hatcheries—where the hatchlings can safely emerge.
Long-term conservation only works with local participation. That’s why, together with Yayasan Penyu Indonesia, we are organizing 20 workshops on environmental education and sustainable livelihoods to address the root causes of egg poaching and hunting. In addition, monthly beach clean-ups involving both tourists and local residents will raise awareness and foster a shared sense of responsibility. Step by step, this builds a strong foundation for sustainable marine conservation and a community proud to protect “its” turtles.