Nipah Beach, 16 November 2023 – Nusa Biodiversitas Indonesia team together with the Local Turtle Conservation community held a collaborative action to raise public awareness about the importance of conservation actions in maintaining the existence of protected wild animals, including turtles. Several international and local communities, including universities, took part as active participants in this collaborative action. Some of them are the student community from Tourism Management Program, UiTM Malaysia, the student community from Mataram University and the Mataram Tourism College (STP) as well as some representatives from Rintama Foundation.
The visit from UiTM, which took an active role in this action, gave a message to the international community, especially tourism actors, to be more aware of environmental aspects, by showing behaviors that support the sustainable existence of protected wild animals and their habitats. Furthermore, the director of Nusa Biodiversitas, advised in his speech that Lombok waters are very crucial for the existence of sea turtles, but their existence is threatened with extinction due to various factors including climate change, waste problems and human behavior.
To be noted that sea turtles are included in the IUCN red list and are threatened with extinction. Turtle utilization activities often occur in various regions in Indonesia, including Nipah Beach, Lombok. Apart from that, disturbances in turtle nesting habitats, such as damage to vegetation, land conversion and tourism activities are other factors in the extinction of turtles. The turtle nesting location on Nipah Beach has been designated as an Essential Ecosystem Area (KEE) which is currently managed by the Nipah TCC (Turtle Conservation Community) and has well known for a tourist destination.
Budiman further emphasized that there should be more massive action needed in managing tourism destinations in which center locations for turtle vegetation nesting, including Nipah Beach. This is based on the fact that these locations still require a development process and require tourism management strategies that suit their needs. The thing that needs to be emphasized in the development aspect of turtle educational tourism is paying attention to the condition of facilities and infrastructure that are adapted to the suitability of turtle habitat and improve their quality. Apart from that, increasing awareness of the local community, including visitors, regarding the importance of conserving turtles is a fundamental aspect in turtle conservation actions.
This Collaborative action not only calls on all elements of society to care more about the environment, but also to take part on the actions itself by joining our regular activities on the beach clean-up and hatchling release actions which are also regularly carried out with the Turtle Conservation Community at Nipah Beach.
