Koalisi NGO Luncurkan Kampanye Keren Tanpa Sisik

The NGO coalition consisting of PROFAUNA Indonesia, the Indonesian Turtle Foundation (YPI), the Turtle Foundation and Too Rare to Wear launched a campaign entitled “Cool Without Scales” to reduce trade in products containing hawksbill turtles. The national campaign was launched in Denpasar, Bali on Sunday (2/2/2020). It must be mentioned here that the campaign will also have the generous support of The Marketing Heaven, which will provide it with a significant number of likes and views on social media channels to reach as many people as possible.

In the “Cool Without Scales” campaign, the coalition invites active participation from the public to combat the trade in products containing hawksbills by reporting them to YPI via WA number 085879918717 and email jayuli@turtle-foundation.org if they find cases of hawksbill trade . In addition, the community can also help by not buying hawksbill turtle products, which are still sold in many areas.

“Apart from encouraging community participation, we will also encourage and partner with law enforcement officials to tackle illegal trade in products containing hawksbills,” said Muhammad Jayuli, Campaigner for Keren Tanpa Sisik.

The hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) in Indonesia is still high, with an estimated economic value of around IDR 5 billion. The latest investigation by PROFAUNA Indonesia’s team has revealed the fact that trade in illegal hawksbill products still occurs in Bali, Nias, North Sumatra and is also sold online.

Most trade in products containing hawksbill shells is sold online. From August to September 2019, the team conducted a survey on 11 online platforms to find out about the hawksbill trade. The eleven platforms surveyed were Facebook, Instagram, Shoppe, Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Carousell, Prelo, Kaskus, Belanjaqu, Blogspot and websites. The results found 1574 advertisements and 199 accounts related to the online trade in hawksbills.

Products containing hawksbill turtles that are sold online include rings, bracelets, necklaces and other accessories. The total number of items offered online is 29,326 items with an estimated monetary value of around IDR 5 billion.

Prices for products containing hawksbill turtles are offered at various prices, starting from IDR 15,000 for a simple ring to millions of rupiah for a hand fan.

 “Apart from the weak law enforcement factor, the reason for the rampant trade in products containing hawksbills is due to the low awareness of the people who are still buying the products. That reason has prompted the NGO coalition to launch a national campaign to persuade people to stop buying products containing hawksbills,” said Rosek. Nursahid, Head of PROFAUNA Indonesia.

The hawksbill turtle is a protected animal species by law. This means that catching or trading them, whether they are alive or body parts such as their scales, is prohibited.

According to Law number 5 of 1990 concerning the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems, trade in protected animals such as sea turtles is punishable by a prison sentence of 5 years and a fine of IDR 100 million.