The morning, at the beginning of August 2017, a camp of people looks busy on a boat that is centrally leaning behind the Marine Tuntong Post in Ujung Tamiang Beach, Aceh Tamiang, Aceh. They are Abu Baked with a number of colleagues, environmental enthusiasts combined in the Indonesian Onecita Lestari Foundation. They prepare traps to capture one of the world’s worst reptiles, sea tuntongs (Batagur borneoensis), for the benefit of data recording and micro cipient editing.
Once the trap is ready and feed in the form of bananas is installed, the environment’s pegiat begins to stimulate the muara river vegetation of the bakau plant to track the presence of sea tuntong while placing traps. Time and patience are needed to capture turtles called another tuntung or tumtum in its natural habitat. Uncommonly, Abu Baked and the clouds back with the hands of the vacuum.
The hunt of adults is massively at the rate of 80-90s, egg prisoners to consume and sell, as well as over the function of the lake’s forest land around the river muara is the cause factor of the animal called another Painted rapin is difficult to find and is now in the extinction. Based on the results of identification, in 2009-2010 the population of sea tuntong in Aceh Tamiang Regency, especially in Seruway and Iyu River is estimated not more than a hundred tails.
Pegiat Yayasan Onecita Lestari Indonesia inspired the Tamiang River to track the existence of Tuntong Laut (Batagur borneoensis), in the Pusung Ship area, Aceh Tamiang, Aceh.
Pegiat Foundation Onecita Lestari Indonesia checked the sea Tuntong trap (Batagur borneoensis), in the Tamiang River, Pusung Boat, Aceh Tamiang microtangan, Aceh.
The minimizing population places a tuntong sea status critically endangered and is in the order of 25th of 327 species including almost extinct category based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as registered as Appendix II plus zero quota for wild specimen to trade in The Convention on International Trade in Endagered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Marine Tuntong is also a very high priority in the P.57/Menhut Number P.57/Menhut II/2008 concerning the 2008-2018 National Species Conservation Strategies.
However, the hope of the emergence through the real action of the environmental enthusiasts of the Yayasan Onecita Lestari Indonesia. Since 2009, they plunge in concession efforts and preservation of sea tuntong. With the support of a number of local-related agencies and the participation of PT Pertamina EP Asset 1 Rantau Field through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs in 2013, the environmental enthusiast of the Onecita Lestari Indonesia Foundation has successfully released 1.204 marine tukik tuntong and returned 73 adults to habitat.
Since 2013, the Onecita Lestari Indonesia Foundation’s activities are not limited only on safety patrols. They begin to make enlargement and release efforts, socialization of wildlife preservation, population monitoring, and genetic research. The existence of the ‘guarding’ sea tuntong is a hope for future generations to be able to see directly the species of freshwater turtles in their native habitat in Indonesia.
Bataang Lestari Indonesia Foundation, Aceh Taraangbuang).
Photo and Text: Ismar Patrizki
