Turtle Survival Alliance financially, logistically, and technically supports primary Sumatran partner Satucita Foundation’s Painted Terrapin conservation program in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, Sumatra, Indonesia. This program, led by Joko Guntoro, performs nest patrols on beaches of Aceh Tamiang and Langkat regencies from December – February. Nests located by the patrol teams are excavated and the eggs relocated to protected terrapin hatcheries in the villages of Pusung Kapal and Jaring Halus. After hatching the young terrapins are reared for more than half a year to a size large enough to give them a better chance of survival in the wild. The terrapins are then released into their native habitat in an effort to bolster the wild population.

In addition to the rear-and-release project, the Satucita Foundation promotes Painted Terrapin awareness in Aceh and North Sumatra through educational outreach at their Painted Terrapin Information Centre in Pusung Kapal, ecotourism, and engaging coastal communities, including focused campaigns toward fishermen. They also engage in waste cleanup and restoration of nesting beaches and coastal mangrove forests, rescue and provide aid to terrapins incidentally caught in fishing gear, assist in seizing illegally captured terrapins from black-market traders, and perform population monitoring surveys.

In North Sumatra, the Satucita Foundation and Natural Resources Conservation Agency of Indonesia (BBKSDA), with aid from TSA, are investigating the merits and potential of a long-term captive breeding program at the Karang Gading Langkat Timur Laut Wildlife Reserve. Hatchlings produced and headstarted at the Wildlife Reserve and released will serve to supplement the region’s wild population.