Last Dinosaurs
travel tourism - papua Indonesia.
Indonesia is home to 6 of 7 species of turtle in the world. Two of them are turtles Star Fruit and Ridley Turtles. Two species threatened with extinction are often found on the beach and the beach Warmon Jamursbamedi in the Abun Conservation area, Papua. The beaches had become the largest nesting place in the Western Pacific. They come and lay eggs throughout the year .- It is encouraging when I had the opportunity to follow the journey of Sea Turtle Conservation Team World Wild Fund of the Nation WWF in Papua nesting season. The goal is to Ridley turtles and monitor turtle Carambola .-
With the group, at 07.00 WIT, I departed from Sorong Fisheries Harbor by using the speedboat to the turtle nesting beach conservation area Abun. Precisely on the beach and Warmon Jamursbamedi located about 200 kilometers from the city of Sorong. The weather in the morning It was clear enough. We deliberately leave early because of the length of the trip and had to race with the big waves in the sea north of Papua .- Journey to the location where turtle nesting is not easy. There is no other alternative along the stretch of sea "Bird Head" Papua besides the sea journey. -
After taking time for 10 hours, the speedboat that we were riding finally docked at Kampung Abun Wau Sorong District. The village with a population of 36 families is the closest location to the Coast Jamursbamedi Warmon and direct .- We do not find what we were looking for turtles. To monitor the presence of sea turtles We must continue the journey back to the boat for 2 hours to Jamurbamedi, while the beach can not Warmon forced us to reach because of the high tide and the waves are too big .- Please note, the beach is known as a turtle nesting place unspoiled. With white sand and hot temperatures, is suitable as a turtle laying eggs, to hatch into Tukik. According to local residents, two stop off at the beach was the turtle-turtle since hundreds of years ago .-
Unlike decades ago when people can watch the turtles lay their eggs during the day, now turtle can only be seen at night. Therefore, we still have to be patient waiting for nightfall. It was about 10 o'clock that night. Turtles are very sensitive to light, so we were only armed with minimal lighting. Accompanied by a flashlight and starlight we started down Jamursbamedi shoreline along the 18 kilometers .-
So the search began. To facilitate the search typically spread Turtle Conservation Team patrols at some point the turtle nesting sites. By way of identifying their tracks when went ashore and returned to the sea. Trace when went ashore and returned to the sea can be distinguished from the former front flipper movement. In this way, where the turtles lay their eggs can be found .-
Two hours later, we were able to identify traces Ridley sea turtle weighing 70 pounds that will spawn. We also began to observe nesting process to complete. Starting from the nest to determine the location back to the sea. Turtle walk with the front fins more or less as far as 10 meters from shore, then with dorsal turtle nests dug holes as deep as 60 centimeters. It took about 40 minutes to remove the eggs for 80 ping-pong ball. and then closing the nest with sand .- Before returning to the sea, sea turtle nesting or nest camouflage tricks to fool the predators such as humans, lizard, and wild boar. Usually the nest cover only the twist of the former front fins which is about 2 meters from the original nest .-
In addition to observing the process of laying, we also marked the installation of metal turtle with a tag and take skin samples for genetic sample. Search the evening finished with a female Ridley turtles into heading for the satellite transmitter placed on the next day the second night search .- continued. Like the previous night, we tried along the east side of Beach Jamursbamedi. He hoped to see turtles Carambola. Warmamedi area about 5 kilometers from the observation post, we finally found the turtles weighing nearly half a ton with a length of 2 meters up the beach and lay eggs. This is the turtle Carambola. Usual turtle dubbed "last dinosaur" that is the only sea turtle without a shell on his back. Her skin was striped like a fruit star fruit stand. It is black with white patches .-
For sea turtle monitoring, we used a device called a common transmitter mounted on the back of the turtle. Specialist installer transmitter from WWF Turtle Conservation Team, I Made Jaya Ratha said transmitter installation done to facilitate and monitor the movement of sea turtle migration routes knowing. Moreover this turtle's life cycle in 99 percent of the sea, so it is invisible .- From the results of monitoring at two nesting beaches were until now unknown, Ridley turtles migrate around the Arafura Sea. While the turtle is a turtle Carambola have the ability to cruise the most distant and unable to menepuh travel 6,000 miles in one year more .-
In Indonesia, turtles lay their eggs only at the Carambola Beach and Warmon Jamursbamedi. They're going to migrate in all directions, along Papua to the Solomon Islands, heading south to the Kei Islands in Southeast Maluku, to the north beyond the Philippines to Japan, and crossed the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of California .-
Since 2003, at least 22 turtles Carambola and 13 Ridley turtles have been fitted with a satellite transmitter that sends a signal every turtle come to the surface. During the nesting season in April until September, conservation efforts by monitoring the turtles do in the morning and evening by the patroller. Monitoring is usually done by walking along the beach. They are local people who engaged in patrols and trained personnel to maintain and supervise .-
Each turtle egg nest eggs will be marked patroller to know how many turtles come and lay eggs to keep safe from predators such as monitor lizards, wild pigs and humans. Even if you need to do relocation or removal of turtle eggs .-
In fact, why the conservation and monitoring of two turtle species in Papua is very important to do? Wurlianty Barnabas, Project Leader, North Papua Leatherback Habitat Management World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said the area is an important area with a population of turtles come to lay eggs, and is the only place where high population of nesting beaches long enough , particularly in the north of Papua. Although the United States, Mexico and India also there are places where nesting turtles but the population is relatively small. Likewise with penelurannya coast .-
According to Barnabas, 20 years tertakhir turtle populations in the Pacific region, which is a solid point of this reptile, decreased dramatically. From the World Wild Fund notes WWF Indonesia, during 2008, nearly 5,000 turtles landed there. While turtle Carambola estimated that only about 2,000 are left. Yet, two decades ago is estimated at 30 thousands of sea turtles and the region found itself still 13 thousand turtles nest .-
Many factors threaten the sustainability of sea turtle populations and Ridley Carambola on the north coast of Papua. Cause, among other wild hunting and fishing nets that often occurs in the sea area, natural predators, and abrasion man .-
But it is the biggest threat. They eat and sell the eggs and meat. Even activities that damage the beach where the failure result in egg-laying sea turtles hatch. Conditions that place the turtle in Papua into sea turtles of the most endangered population in the world. Star fruit turtle States signed the International Red List for Conservation of Natural Resources (IUCN). It means that animals have the highest risk of extinction .-
Not to mention the success penetasannya very low. From about a thousand eggs, only one survived to adulthood. Thus, turtle conservation efforts began actively conducted by WWF involving local communities. The community was given the understanding the importance of protecting sea turtles. They were understanding the importance of turtle conservation in their areas .-
turtle conservation in Papua is originated from aerial surveys in Côte Jamursbamedi in the 1980s. That moment is known that the first time how important coastal habitats such as the Star Fruit and Ridley sea turtle. Along the coastline of 20 kilometers when it found more than 250 female turtles come to lay their eggs each night at the peak of nesting season .- The largest nesting turtles on the Pacific Star Fruit Preservation and Ridley turtles have significance for fish, humans and fishing industries. As jellyfish predators, Carambola and Ridley turtles are able to arrange the balance of jellyfish populations in the sea. If the jellyfish population excess, then he will prey on fish larvae, so the fish population was threatened. Therefore, the turtle-turtle is important to preserved .-
To ensure the protection of nesting beaches for sea turtle populations, especially in the Pacific Carambola turtle to remain stable or increase, protect it from over-exploitation and to protect habitats and the importance of Jamursbamedi Warmon, made a deal along with making two of nesting sites and Warmon Jamursbamedi as the Regional Marine Conservation Area (KKLD) Abun .-
Earlier this territory into the realm of the Sub-Center of Natural Resources Conservation Papua BKSDA I Sorong as wildlife reserves. Real support for turtle conservation is strengthened by the establishment KKLD Abun by Decree No.142 of Sorong Regent Decree 2005 which set the region's marine and coastal district Abun
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