TRAVELSPECIAL sleeping in their roosts . You know there are a lot of turtles when you ’ re busy trying to photograph one and another one pushes you out of the way so they can reclaim their favourite spot , a common occurrence for many of us on this trip .
Siladen , the paradise island
Our next destination was the beautiful island of Siladen . Turtles and their eggs have traditionally been eaten in Sulawesi but with the help of some of the resorts such as Siladen Resort and Spa , this is almost a thing of the past . As the name suggests , this lovely barefoot resort is located on Siladen Island and from education to supporting recycling schemes they have done much to support the ecosystem and lessen their impact on the local area .
Ana and Miguel , the lovely Portuguese couple that run Siladen Resort , tell me that they have protected turtle nests for years and they even offer locals incentives for the location of new nests , so those eggs can also be protected . Now visitors have the chance to witness turtle hatching and experience something really special on land as well as underwater . This positive ecological tourism really has had a noticeable effect on turtle populations , with more sightings of smaller , younger turtles than ever before .
The science on turtle life cycles is inconclusive , but it ’ s believed the turtles will spend anything between four and seven years living a pelagic life out at sea but when they reach 10 to 12 inches in length , they head back to the reef for safety . Given that they live for 70 or more years , I had wondered if there could eventually be too many turtles for this relatively small area , but I was reassured by a turtle expert that they tend to balance numbers out themselves and will
Sunset at Tasik Ria
Ornate ghost pipefish
eventually look for new areas to inhabit , thus helping the worldwide population growth .
The pandemic has had its toll on the environment here . The marine park , which has always been free of fishing , has started to see evidence that some locals have been poaching with hook and lines . With very little government assistance during the pandemic , they would have likely just been trying to survive and not seizing upon an opportunity to make a quick buck .
Several green turtles had monofilament line wrapped around them ; Siladen ’ s guides did try to remove some of the lines but the turtles , not knowing that we were trying to help , resisted the assistance . I can only hope that when I return , somehow those turtles become free and fishing has stopped , otherwise it risks undoing all of the good work that resorts such as Siladen are doing .
A green turtle swims over its coral kingdom
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