Villages dot Nusa Penida Island, off the southeast coast of Bali, in Indonesia. Most of the residents farm small plots or gather seaweed to make a living. The island vegetation comprises mainly scrub and expansive savannah, but several pockets of natural forest protect valuable watersheds. Through the efforts of a local NGO, Friends of the National Parks Foundation (FNPF), in 2006 the island villages unanimously agreed to make bird protection a social and spiritual obligation. Since then, FNPF has rehabilitated and released various Indonesian birds, notably the critically endangered Bali starling.
The island communities have promised to turn their hawksbill and green turtle nesting beach into a no-take area. They will protect 1.2 acres (half a hectare) of beach for at least 10 years. Seacology is funding the construction of a small turtle guard post on the beach.
