TURTLE TALES

The reason we were in Bali in the first place was officially for CI Internal Workplanning meetings for the upcoming fiscal year. Although the meetings were heavy and draining, we learned a lot... especially us, being new to the CI team - I feel like my eyes were opened to the intricacies of the CI Indonesia Marine Program. We also created a vision for the program for the upcoming 5 years, which I think inspired everyone. Of course, as an International Conservation NGO, CI's ultimate goal is that their presence is no longer required in the area in which they work because the local community has taken conservation matters into their own hands in an effective manner... HOWEVER, as this is not yet the case in Raja Ampat, we weren't quite ready to devise any form of exit strategy!

It wasn't all work... we did have one day to go on a 'field trip' to a very interesting conservation site in Bali. Perancak is a community situated on an important sea turtle nesting site that has sustained a successful turtle protection program for years. They focus mostly on the conservation of sea turtles' nests, but their program also includes an education component for school children (or adults who still act like children, ie. us!)!

A few pics from our field day.