RRI.CO.ID, Berau - A sweeping aerial survey using drone technology has identified 913 individual sea turtles across the coastal waters of Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. This groundbreaking data offers scientists and conservationists the most detailed picture yet of one of Borneo's most critical marine habitats.

The landmark count was carried out through a joint initiative between the Pontianak Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center under the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN), in collaboration with the East Kalimantan Provincial Marine and Fisheries Service and local community conservation groups.

The surveys were focused on the Derawan Islands Coastal and Small Islands Conservation Area and its Surrounding Waters, known by its Indonesian acronym KKP3K KDPS.

"The use of drone technology helps produce more accurate and efficient data to support the management of conservation areas," said Head of KKP's Pontianak Marine Management Center, Syarif Iwan Taruna Alkadrie, in Berau on Sunday, May 24, 2026.

He noted that monitoring of sea turtle habitats and populations can now be conducted across wider areas in finer detail with the support of this technology. This includes covering locations that were previously difficult or impossible to reach through conventional methods.

"The data obtained through the use of this technology is crucial for supporting science-based decision-making in conservation area management," he said, as quoted by Antara.

The aerial survey successfully mapped sea turtle habitats across 12 locations within the conservation zone. High-resolution aerial imagery, with spatial resolution ranging between 1.5 and 5 centimeters, enabled researchers to visually identify individual turtles in shallow waters, seagrass beds, and coral reef areas, and to distinguish them accurately from other objects in the sea.

The 913 individual turtles identified represent a significant data achievement that strengthens the scientific foundation for protecting the region's marine biodiversity.

YKAN's Senior Manager for Marine Protection, Yusuf Fajariyanto, emphasized that community involvement is as indispensable as technology in sustaining these conservation gains. He argued that sea turtle conservation cannot rest on government agencies or NGOs alone.

"The role of coastal communities is very important, because they live side by side with sea turtle habitats," said Yusuf.

He added that the use of high-resolution drones also accelerates the collection of sea turtle distribution data across the vast coastal zone in ways that ground-level observation simply cannot match.

"The finding of 913 individual sea turtles in the KKP3K KDPS area shows that this region is an important habitat that must continue to be protected together," said Yusuf.

The Derawan Islands, long recognized as one of Southeast Asia's premier sea turtle nesting grounds, are home to green turtles and hawksbill turtles among other species.

The integration of drone surveillance into regular monitoring cycles marks a shift toward more technologically driven conservation governance in the region. Officials and advocates hope this modern approach can be replicated across Indonesia's vast and often under-monitored coastal territories. ***