The eggs are expected to hatch into several hundred baby turtles (hatchlings) that will make their way to the sea in AugustSorong, W Papua (ANTARA) - Five giant "belimbing" or leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) laid eggs at a nesting spot on Warebar Beach in Yenbekaki Village, Raja Ampat District, West Papua Province, a local conservationist revealed.
"The eggs are expected to hatch into several hundred baby turtles (hatchlings) that will make their way to the sea in August," Chairman of the Yenbekaki Village Sea Turtle Conservation Center Yusuf Mayor stated in Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat District, on Wednesday.
The local conservationists protect the giant leatherback turtles' eggs from predators and hunters, Mayor remarked, adding that the number of eggs laid at the beach's nesting spot might have surpassed last year’s count.
Last year, the local conservationists had merely found two giant sea turtles to have laid eggs on the village's beach.
Mayor explained that they voluntarily preserved the sea turtles and protected the nesting spot at Yenbekaki Village's coastal area from harm, so that the subsequent generations are still able to bear witness to this iconic species that the place is innately blessed with.
Indonesia is home to several iconic species, one of them being the sea turtle. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia has also reported that six of the seven living species of sea turtles that scientists recognize can be found in the country.
According to the WWF Indonesia's official website, four of the six species of sea turtles -- green turtles (Chelonia mydas), "belimbing" or leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), "sisik" or hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), and "lekang" or olive Ripley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) -- lay their eggs in several of the country's coastal areas.
The WWF Indonesia further noted that the Indonesian waters were also the most important migratory route of sea turtles at the crossroads of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Abun Sub-district's coastal areas in Tambrauw District, West Papua Province, for instance, are identified as the largest nesting spots of leatherback turtles in the Pacific region.
The WWF Indonesia has recorded the Derawan Islands in East Kalimantan Province as the biggest nesting spots of green turtles in Southeast Asia.
In Java Island, Trisik Beach in Kulon Progo District, Yogyakarta Province, is also known as the nesting spot of green turtles.
The sea turtles are so sensitive to light that they might become blind on exposure. Moreover, the US Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries pointed out that the marine debris also threatens the survival of these species.
Hence, there is a pressing need to reduce marine debris and trash in oceans to prevent sea turtles from getting entangled in them or from accidentally consuming the waste.
The NOAA Fisheries has also suggested to remove "recreational beach equipment, such as chairs, umbrellas, and boats at night" to prevent sea turtles from turning away.
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Translator: Ernes BK, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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