IMPACT OF TURTLE CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMY OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND THE NUMBER OF NESTING TURTLES: A CASE STUDY OF PANGUMBAHAN BEACH, SUKABUMI REGENCY, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Abstract

Pangumbahan beach, located between Ujung Genteng and Pangumbahan villages, in Sukabumi Regency (latitude 7°19'10" to 7°19'50" south and longitude 106o23'00" to 106o24'10" east) has been designated as a "Coastal Park" for sea turtle conservation in West Java Province, Indonesia. The beach is suitable for the nesting of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). The Pangumbahan beach is designated as a coastal park under the decree of the Sukabumi regent No: 523/Kep.639- Dislutkan/2008. Subsequently an increase in the number of visitors was recorded for the period from 2008 to 2012, with the number of people increasing from 13, 176 to 21, 759. This tourism activity seems have brought benefits to the economy of the coastal communities living around the park. The rise of economic activities is seen in various sectors including: transportation, lodging, restaurants, trade and tourism guides. The income of the people before the advent of ecotourism activities had been low, but the awareness of local people is rising significantly, allowing them to participate in developing turtle conservation in the area. This should bode well for the prospects of enhancing the sea turtle population in Indonesia, especially in West Java. However, the number of nesting turtles on the beach has decreased significantly, in contrast to the increasing number of tourists. A causal relationship between these two trends was unclear, but this finding suggests that conservation and management strategies in ecotourism projects should be evaluated well.