At the risk of having too many special days to highlight, I would still like to take this opportunity to highlight three days with special attention for matters that really need our consideration and are part of everything we do through the Masarang Foundation.
The third Friday of March was designated as Endangered Species Day, which was yesterday, May 21st. Today has been labeled as World Biodiversity Day and tomorrow will be World Turtle Day. For many years already, through our work at Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue and Education Centre we have been involved with thousands of confiscated animals rescued from illegal trade as well as from people that kept them as ‘pets’. Sadly, right now even with the Covid crisis and despite the apparent decrease in deforestation, the trade in protected wildlife continues unabated. Masarang’s efforts to help endangered species is needed more than ever.
Speaking about biodiversity, Masarang has not only been protecting some remaining original forests in North Sulawesi, but also our new Temboan project is especially focused on restoring a huge amount of biodiversity in severely degraded terrain in a project of 450 hectares. The aims are amongst others to restore a biodiverse and valuable new forest, reintroduce rescued wildlife and protect sea turtles on the beach and their eggs as well as to protect and restore coral reefs along some three kilometers of beaches.
Regarding World Turtle Day, for many years we have been and still are running nightly patrols and operate a big turtle hatchery with Masarang at the Tulap Beach which was funded by students and staff at the Victoria Shanghai Academy in Hong Kong. We are pleased that two donors from Hong Kong, who have already supported us in the past, have now kindly donated funds to build an additional sea turtle egg hatchery at Temboan. Our beach hosts five of the world’s sea turtle species!
Perhaps that is the real message that Masarang stands for: Integration, not just focusing on one species or one project area but developing solutions that help long-term sustainability in a unified approach that benefits both nature and people. Masarang’s vision is to save nature through the empowerment of local people. We believe that every day of the year should be for endangered species, biodiversity and turtles. Not just these three days in May. In nature everything is connected and so should we be connected, with an integrated sustainable future for nature and people.
Willie Smits
May 22nd, 2021
This picture of part of Masarang’s Temboan project tells a thousand stories. Diversity: mangroves, nipah palms, lakes and sea, degraded lands, patches of good forest and burned areas, coral reefs in various condition, a leatherback turtle nesting beach and so much more. In the near future this area will support much more wildlife, protect nesting sea turtles, have richer corals, will support a more diverse plant community and provide more and better sustainable jobs for local people while sequestering vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Temboan, a place for people to visit and volunteer, so they can believe and learn, a new home for many rescued animals. In short a place that gives hope that we can do better.
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