Pariaman's Turtle Conservation Designated as Essential Ecosystem
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Kamis, 30 Oktober 2014 21:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government of Pariaman in West Sumatra plans to designate the turtle conservation area in Ampalu Village as one of Indonesia's essential ecosystems.
"Our plan is to raise the status of the the turtle conservation area in the village of Ampalu into an essential ecosystem," said Pariaman Mayor Mukhlis Rahman in Pariaman on Wednesday.
Mukhlis explained that the status upgrade was a form of his government's commitment to conservation development in the region.
"We hope that this program can be forwarded to the central government, so that one day Pariaman will be known as a tourist destination, both domestically and internationally," said Mukhlis.
According to Mukhlis, central government's support can be in the form of initiatives and developmental activities that center around turtle conservation. "The creation of such zones will be for the benefit of tourists, both local and international, as well as for scientists from various research centers across the world," said Mukhlis.
He elaborated that the turtle conservation zone in Ampalu was one of Pariaman's key draws, which could still be developed further for the benefit of the tourism sector.
"It's not just about developing the area into a major draw for tourists and biodiversity researchers, turtles are increasingly becoming rarer in the wild," said Mukhlis.
The turtle conservation area in Ampalu is actively involved in the conservation efforts of three kinds of turtle found in the area: the olive Ridley sea turtle, the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle.
"More than 40,000 hatchlings have been released from the conservation area into the wild," finished Mukhlis.
ANTARA