Turtles
...they may be losing the race...



There are 8 species of sea turtle in the world. ALL of them are in endangered status! Of these, 6 are found in Indonesia, and 5 in Raja Ampat.



There is nothing NOT to love about these wonderful creatures...


... including, according to people in Raja Ampat, the taste of their meat. I wouldn't know, and have no desire to.

This is only one of the many obstacles to conservation in Raja Ampat.

Turtle roast in Ayau, Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

Apparently the people of Raja Ampat (specific areas are more problematic than others) collect sea turtle eggs for consumption as well. Sea turtles (and their eggs) have enough natural predators of their own -- but humans have once again stepped in and tipped the balance. Turtle meat is a traditional source of protein of the people in Raja Ampat, but never occuring on such an exploitive scale... with population increases and changing attitudes (from reverence and use only in special ceremonies, to whenever, wherever), this practise is no longer sustainable!

Raja Ampat Richness

RAJA AMPAT

Google it and you'll return results pertaining to 'highest diversity in the world', 'new species discovered', 'biodiversity hotspot', 'diver's paradise'...

It's true... this is an INCREDIBLE area. Of all the coral species known to exist on earth, Raja Ampat and the 'Bird's Head' area is home to 75% of them! There are over 1200 species of fish, 600 types of hard coral, 700 molluscs, etc, etc, the list goes on...

Of course, with this resource-richness also come the pressures of exploitation. Especially in an area as remote, poor, and corrupt, as Indonesia.

The need for a Marine Conservation Education Program is blatantly obvious when you have a look at the list of current and impending threats that exist in the area:

Turtle Hunting for meat
Turtle Egg Harvesting (also for human consumption)
Blast (dynamite) Fishing
Poison Fishing (using cyanide, potassium or other poisons)
Trawler Fishing
Over-harvesting of certain marine species
Shark-finning
Wild-life trade (aquarium fish and birds!)
Coral Mining (mainly to use as building material)
Sand Mining
Mining Operations (mostly nickel in this particular area)
Illegal Logging
Mangrove Clearing & Coastal 'Reclamation'
Casting anchor over coral
Garbage and Waste Management

I'm sure I've forgotten one or two in there, but you get the idea.

Our Marine Environmental Conservation Education Program is focused on knowledge and attitudes in order to change these destructive and unsustainable behaviours... and, the youth program especially, is largely based on the following quote from Baba Dioum:

In the end, We will conserve only what we love,
We will love only what we understand,
And we will understand only what we are taught.

Sorry, I know, I've been keeping this blog light for the most part, this, as I mentioned previously, is in an attempt to give me some relief from the stress/heaviness of life/work (trying to find a way to save the world... ok, not the world... but a small corner of it - one that is considered to be some of the most pristine area left on this incredible Earth).

The "KALABIA": Kapal Pendidikan Konservasi
Our New Home

You know the famous saying 'never live where you work'??? I'm afraid the two are going to be inseparable for me starting this August... I haven't written much on my blog about work in an attempt to have an outlet that is NOT work related... but I know many of you are interested (and maybe a little confused/unclear; quote "I'm your brother and I still really don't know what you're DOING there!)... and because it's also a very exciting time, I thought I'd include a little blurb here!

I am responsible for developing and implementing a Marine Environmental Conservation Education Program (a three-pronged program, with elements for youth, adults, and teachers alike) for the Education and Outreach Vessel, "KALABIA", that is the latest Conservation International Indonesia initiative in Raja Ampat, West Papua. The boat itself, although I have yet to actually lay eyes on it, is a 37 meter converted tuna fishing vessel in the process of a complete overhaul and out-fitting to make it live- and teach-able!

I just received this photo of the boat from when it was recently purchased (an attempt to take one more tuna fishing trawler off the seas)... I repeat, this is BEFORE the transformation, and is really just to give you an idea of the size (the only thing that should remain of it!) I will, of course, send a pic of our new home once it actually arrives!



What's in a name? "KALABIA" is the local Maya name for the endemic "walking shark", Hemiscyllium freycineti (a shark that doesn't swim, but uses its fins to waddle along the seafloor), which has become kind of the defacto mascot for our marine environmental education program. "Guru Laut", which literally translates to Teacher of the Sea, was the unanimous decision after much discussion... we had finally reached a decision on the name (should be simple, but this took weeks... imagine what the logistics and programming aspects are like!)... then it was changed again! Anyway, the new name, KALABIA, is simple and accurate, and holds no connotations that can be misconstrued in Indonesian or local culture or language (we hope*!?), and, it has the distinct femaleness that all ocean-going vessels seem to have!

An EXCITING project!!!! I have been working to pull ideas and activities together for some time (my creative juices are over-flowing!). We have already had a Training Event for "Communications and Education for Behaviour Change", followed by a Workshop to Design the Communications and Education Program forRaja Ampat , during which we used Problem Trees and Participatory Processes to identify key issues and objectives for the Grand Scheme. Further to this, I just facilitated a curriculum and planning workshop to pull the program together. At this point, we have a good idea as to thewhowhatwherewhenhowwhy ... and it's just a point of finalizing details, etc. In August, when all the materials are ready, I will be holding a training workshop for the environmental educators that will accompany meon board , and after all the paperwork is complete, we should actually be afloat by October. As is the way in Indonesia, the launch has been delayed (originally scheduled to arrive in Raja Ampat in April, the boat itself is now due here in August)... but I'm none-too sad, as I look at the length of my to-do list (and know how long it takes to get ANYTHING actually DONE in Indonesia!). We are going to have a unique, quality program!

And of course, any ideas are always welcome!

Are you SURE you're in INDONESIA???

It's true, the indigenous people of West Papua (also known as Irian Jaya) seem only very loosely related to Indonesians from other parts of the country. In every aspect - historically, culturally, ethnically, physically - they seem much more 'Melanesian' or 'South-Pacific' (i say that like i've been to the islands of the south-pacific... hmmm... not yet).

In fact, when we were in Ayau (the farthest point north in Raja Ampat), I discovered that the people there believe they are decendants from Palau.... (prior to the Biak portion of their history). It is only in recent years that they have begun to orient themselves more toward Indonesia (rather than the Philipines or Palau). The only true link to Indonesia seems to be the government - a frail link at that. Of course, now over 40% of Irian's population are 'ethnic Indonesians' that are living here as a result of government trans-migration programs (a scheme to dilute ethnic papua, and quell, or pacify, 'free papua' movements). The Dutch colonial government carried out a transmigration program in West Papua during the 19th century, and the Indonesian government implemented a similar policy (in practice until 2000!). There is a fear among many Papuans that their true culture is being lost.



aren't these kids adorable!?

I'm sure I've mentioned this before... but these pictures make me think about it again... the name "Papua" actually means 'land of the fuzzy-haired people' in the Malay language!


The first recorded contact from 'outside' in West Papua came in the 16th century - Portuguese explorer Jorge de Meneses. He is credited with giving the name Papua.



We enjoyed our time in Ayau immensely; we were attending meetings and a declaration of a Marine Protected Area. However, when we weren't in the meeting room, we were enjoying the simplicity of life there,




the turquoise ocean,




oh yes, and the coconuts eaten by moonlight... aaaahhhh.....




This is not to say that the archipelago of Ayau is not without issues... Although none were overtly apparent during our stay, on our last day there Martin found a green sea turtle fin on the beach (and a young one at that). Regarless of the fact that sea turtles are an internationally protected species (it is illegal to kills them or destroy their eggs), the people of Ayau continue to follow their tradition of hunting turtles and eating their meat.

My New (Preferred) Anti-Malarial Medication



I have been slightly skeptical about taking Anti-Malarials from the start of this whole venture... I mean, yes, it's probably better than getting Malaria (so people who have had it tell me), but there are no conclusive studies on the long-term effects of taking malaria medication over an extended period of time... and any med that has side affects as severe as these just doesn't seem right to me.

People have been living in this area for ages, and all the while, they have been dealing with the tropical disease found here. One way they do it is by eating bitter greens - my favourite are the papaya leaves and flowers (actually quite tasty served in a coconut milk sauce). I guess the mosquitos don't like the way you taste after eating them!?

So, because I personally haven't been living in the tropics long enough (nor has my upline for that matter) to have formed any kind of resistance to malaria, and because everyone who lives here says EVERYONE who stays here for an extended period of time gets malaria at some point (regardless of whether they're taking anti-malarial medication or not!), I am adopting a two-pronged approach. I am currently taking Larium, but just for the time being (while our visits here are shorter). I am incorporating the traditional indigenous knowledge, as well, and will eventually go completely natural. People have been living here for centuries... i'm sure they've got a few things figured out, otherwise the tropical nasties would have wiped out their populations long ago!

Communications Issues in Raja Ampat...

My poor, dear family… they have to go on faith, and the adhere to the maxim that no news is good news! It seems that since being in Raja Ampat we haven't stopped for a minute! And because it really and truly is the end of the earth (probably one of the most remote places on the planet), communications facilities are few and far between. When we’re in the field we have no way of communicating with the outside world – the only time we get email or cell service is when we come back to Sorong. I returned home this time to a message from my folks hoping that the earthquake and resultant tsunami in the Solomon Islands hadn't affected us here. -- Huh? There has been another natural disaster in our viscinity!?!

Being out-of-touch is ok, I suppose. I mean, I DID know where I was coming to begin with! And although the down-side of being in the field is communications... being busy is nice; it seems that every time we arrive back from somewhere in the field, they tell us there's another activity/event to leave for the next day! This week was no exception... I got back at noon on Monday from 5 days in Saunek (helping with a Muslim camping outing - what a way to spend Easter Weekend!) and they said they were sending us off to another event on another island on Tuesday! Anyway, it's good to get to see/know as much of the area as possible... I feel like I'll be able to put together a more comprehensive and locally relevant program, so all this moving about really is for the greater good.

I'm not sure the people in the village I was in for the past while have ever had prolonged interaction with a BULE - they see tourists on their dive boats, but usually they don't come into the villages... so Stacey and I (Stacey is an American who is travelling on a Vanderbilt U fellowship and came to Raja Ampat to volunteer for a month) were quite the attraction on the island. Especially for the kids, who I am sure have never seen a BULE up close before! They are so adorable... so curious, a little scared at first (I wish I could be inside their head and see what they're thinking! - I swear they wonder if I'm a ghost, or a person from another planet). But eventually their curiosity gets the better of them, and a smile is a smile is a smile, so they approach and are thrilled at the interaction! The first day we were in the town, we were napping away the mid-day heat when I heard giggles at the window... I looked up to see a pair of big brown eyes topped by fuzzy red-hair just disappearing below the sill... then again, peeking around the door jamb. I snuck over to the window and looked out, and there was a crowd of 6-7 kids just below the window (just waiting, I presume, to catch a glimpse of this strange creature!) I lay back down, and the fun resumed... peeking around the corners, and as soon as I would look at them they disappeared, went running around the outside of the house (laughing and screaching all the way), came in the back door, and took a peek from another angle!



Martin is actually in Jakarta right now... he had an ear infection that had recurred about 4 times within 2-3 months, so I said I thought the doctors weren't getting at the root of the problem by just giving him broad-spectrum antibiotics, and we got him to see a specialist in Jakarta (insurance is covering everything). For someone who never gets sick, it's funny that here Martin is having all kinds of problems - no doubt the stress is a contributing factor. He should be back tomorrow.

That's just a little update.