Students Explore the Islands of Berau to Study Sea Turtle Conservation

Protection of Forest & Fauna (PROFAUNA) Indonesia took part in a field trip to small islands in Berau regency, which was initiated by the Marine Affairs & Fisheries Service of Berau on 25-27 March 2015. The trip was joined by 40 senior high school students from different schools. This event was expected to introduce and give them practical experience in marine conservation.

The participants were winners of various competitions -wall magazine, creative writing, and poetry- which were held earlier in December 2014. They study at MAN (Islamic High School) 1, SMKN (Vocational School) 02, SMAN (Public Senior High School) 02, SMAN 06, SMAN 07, SMK Sehat Persada, SMA PGRI, and  SMA Al-Falah Queen.

The event also involved organizations like PROFAUNA, The Nature Conservancy, and Yayasan Penyu Berau. In Sangalaki island, PROFAUNA was appointed as the speaker and gave education related to sea turtle conservation.

The islands visited were Semama, Maratua, Kakaban, and Sangalaki, as they are sea turtle nesting sites.

 "Although most of the students are from Berau, yet many of them have never been to an island where sea turtles come to lay their eggs. This trip will surely be an unforgettable experience for them, and hopefully will also increase their awareness towards sea turtle conservation," said Bayu Sandi, the coordinator of PROFAUNA Borneo.

The group also stopped by SMAN 09 Maratua and SMK Perikanan in Tanjung Batu. There, PROFAUNA was again given the opportunity to talk about sea turtle conservation in Berau and its challenges.