Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Syiah Kuala University – Indonesia (2020)

In Indonesia, the hunting of hawksbill turtles for tortoiseshell still occurs on a considerable scale. A 2020 SWOT grant will help the project’s researchers investigate the status of tortoiseshell trade at 12 carefully selected locations on Sumatra and its islands. Through fieldwork, market surveys, and interviews, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Syiah Kuala University researchers hope to better understand the domestic trade, to promote the conservation of hawksbill turtles, and to propose conservation steps to reduce the tortoiseshell trade.

A hawksbill turtle swims above a reef © Adéla Hemeliková/Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Syiah Kuala University

Tortoiseshell jewelry, made from hawksbill turtle shell, for sale in Sumatra, Indonesia © Adéla Hemeliková/Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Syiah Kuala University