Every night, Irisa Sawoka combs the beaches on Venu Island in Indonesia looking for new turtle nests to transfer the eggs to a safer location. Irisa is part of a patrol team that monitors and protects local turtles from the many threats to their survival. Though the beaches of Venu Island are flat and close to sea level, making it an ideal nesting landscape, the area also presents various dangers.

Turtles are vital to the locals on Venu Island – “venu” meaning “egg” in the local language. The turtles are a revered creature in the community and a major draw for tourism, which spurs the local economy. However, these turtles have to fight the odds from the moment they are born. Each nest generally contains about 200 eggs; but, due to changing landscapes, on-land predators, and human looters, only a couple of those turtles will survive life on the beach and at sea to one day lay eggs of their own.

Protecting nesting areas isn’t easy – it takes long-term dedication and in-depth knowledge of the local area and turtles’ needs. At Venu Island, Conservation International (CI) – a Walton Family Foundation grantee – is helping to provide needed expertise and resources. In 2011, the organization worked with Indonesia’s conservation center, BKSDA, and local communities to form patrol teams like Irisa’s.

Through collecting data and protecting eggs, CI’s staff and local villagers are helping turtles survive and ensuring that Venu Island remains a safe place for nesting. The organization and community’s work over the past three years has already seen impressive results. CI’s data showed that by 2013, nearly 2,500 turtles survived to nest in the area since the patrol teams started their look out.

CI is working with the Venu community to find common-sense solutions to protect the turtles, a cornerstone of its cultural identity and a boon to its economy. This work reflects the Walton Family Foundation’s mission of seeking conservation solutions that also have a positive impact on communities as a whole.