From Turtle Harvest to Turtle Home

Over at One World One Ocean’s blog, The Water Column, Sarah Bedolfe tells a story from Indonesia which will sound very familiar to Paso Pacífico’s friends and followers:

For generations, the island residents of Runduma, Indonesia have been harvesting sea turtle eggs.

The egg harvest was a tradition… eggs were eaten as well as sold for about 1,000 rupiah (9 cents) each and used for community expenses–fixing a new water filtration system, helping poor families send their kids to school–making them important for the local economy.
However, the turtles are endangered and a lot has changed in Runduma in recent years. Far from being the turtles’ hunters, the islanders are now their allies…

Now, the people of Runduma no longer need to harvest turtle eggs to make a living. Instead, they are thriving while working to save the turtles.

We are always pleased to hear about efforts to save endangered sea turtles, and especially glad to see that others having success creating a culture of conservation.

Read more about sea turtle credits and incentive payments for conservation.