Sea Turtles at Kuta Beach will have a brighter future

Who would guess amongst the hundreds of thousands of residents  and  tourists  that work and play at Kuta Beach that sea turtles continue to use this same stretch of sand as their nesting grounds?

Worldwide, six of seven species of sea turtles that swim the world’s oceans are threatened or endangered largely at the hand of humans. Sadly they also face many dangers as they travel the seas from accidental capture, poaching and  the  loss  of  nesting  sites  due  to  coastal  development and beach pollution.

In  Bali,  the  Olive  Ridley species in particular, has been coming to the Kuta  Beach area for centuries to lay their eggs. While Kuta Beach develops to  be  the  most  popular beach on the island, sea turtle populations have been  declining  for the past 7 years. With so much “un-natural” traffic on the  beach,  it  was  carefully decided by ProFauna group that upon finding nesting  sites, the eggs should be relocated to a hatchery to improve their chance of survival.

From  2002  to 2009, a few dedicated individuals led by Agung Ngurah Tresna of Kuta Beach security and I Wayan Wiradnyana from ProFauna Indonesia, have been  relocating  the  eggs to a humble hatchery facility, a small concrete sand bunker. As eggs hatch at the end of their two-month incubation period, the baby turtles are returned to the ocean the same day.

Recognizing  the  efforts  above and the need for support, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia  (CCAI)  has  offered a helping hand. Teaming up with Quiksilver, its  partner  in  doing  the  Bali  Beach Clean-Up program, we have built a permanent  hatchery  facility,  the  Kuta  Beach Sea Turtle Conservation or KBSTC.  The  new  construction is expected to help prevent the animals from extinction.  In  the  shape  of a giant turtle See attached photograph, the construction is accompanied by information boards to bring awareness of the sea turtles history and future.

“In 2008, 1947 sea turtle eggs have been hatched and the numbers doubled to be  4054  in 2009. Up to May this year we have recorded more than 5000 eggs successfully  laid  in the KBSTC. This is a fantastic initial result,” said Peter  Kelly,  President  Director  of CCAI. “In addition to the Bali Beach Clean-Up  program and the KBSTC, we also roll out Water for life program to provide  clean  water  access to severe drought areas in Northern Bali. All these initiatives go hand-in-hand with the objective of the Bali Government to  make  the  resort island an eco-responsible tourist destination,” Peter added.

Paul  Hutson,  South East Asia Director of Quiksilver shares similar remark about the KBSTC development. “Since mid 2008, CCAI and Quiksilver Indonesia have  been  active  in cleaning major beaches in Bali. We are positive that cleaning  beaches  is part of encouraging sea turtles to return and nest at Kuta Beach.”

The  KBSTC is hoping to release over 12 thousand baby sea turtles by end of 2010.  The  KBSTC  conveniently located at the beachside front of Inna Kuta Beach  Hotel  and  has  received  support  from local Balinese authorities, ProFauna  Indonesia and Bali Forestry. The KBSTC is open to the public free of  charge  to  enable  everyone  to  participate and experience the joy of saving these turtles.