Sumatran Sea Turtles

Although June to September record less numbers in turtles compared to the other months, social programmes have seen a peak in the coastal community of Pulau Banyak.

After completing the waste management assessment last month, the foundation has tackled environmental education, training in kayak tours and GIS mapping.

All 3 activities are of major importance at all different levels of the organisation.

The ‘training for teachers’ programme commenced on the 7^th of June and included 50 participants from all over Pulau Banyak. Teachers from kindergarten, lower, middle and high schools as well as youth group representatives were present during the training that lasted for 2 weeks. Participants were taken into the field to teach the interpretation of environmental education in practice. Previous to the field work, workshops were conducted to provide background information on rainforests and coral reefs. Without bringing home the importance of the natural recourses in a practical way, the message would not have been brought across as effective as it has now! The participants all enjoyed learning more about their “own” environment and received a certificate accredited by the education board, the foundation and an Australian education programme provider.

Simultaneous to the education programme, Abdul Halim, a professional sea kayaker, trained our local kayak team on the ins and outs of kayaking with tourists in the archipelago including health and safety, repairing and servicing the boats purchased by the foundation for developing the kayak activity.

Ruben Venegas and Lucia Morales, assisted the forestry department and Yayasan Pulau Banyak in GIS mapping of the islands in order to determine appropriate zonification for eco-tourist activities and fisheries. This information will be used by the forestry department to implement in government management plans and our foundation will use it to develop a comprehensive eco-tourism management plan for the region.