Sea turtle protection in Indonesia: A review of constitutional and customary regulations

Sea turtles have been a conservation priority in Indonesia since 1978. Despite numerous regulations at national, regional, and local levels, sea turtle populations and habitats continue to decline. This study assessed current national and provincial (Aceh) regulations for sea turtles using text mining and an extensive review to identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and overlap. Local customary law (Hukum Adat Laot) from Aceh was included as a case study to compare constitutional and customary approaches to sea turtle conservation. The analysis of 47 terms across four categories—species, habitat, management, and protection—revealed six institutions involved in conservation, with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) having the highest regulatory presence. However, substantial regulatory and institutional overlap was found, with no single institution clearly mandated to lead sea turtle protection. National and provincial regulations primarily emphasised management-related terms (50.19% in Aceh; 43.03% nationally), while species-specific and life-stage-related terms were rarely recognised. In contrast, the customary law Hukum Adat Laot demonstrated stronger provisions in the ‘species’ and ‘habitat’ categories, including explicit bans on adult turtle capture, regulated egg harvesting, and protections for nesting and foraging habitats. Effective management is often hindered by gaps and overlap in regulatory frameworks, which can lead to unclear jurisdiction, conflicting policies, and inefficiencies in enforcement. These challenges can create barriers to coordinated conservation efforts, making it difficult to implement consistent and effective protection measures for sea turtles. Although institutional and regulatory overlap pose challenges, integrating customary law into national conservation frameworks presents an opportunity to enhance species-specific protections, strengthen local engagement, and improve coordination. Recognising Hukum Adat Laot as an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECM) could improve enforcement and ecological outcomes for sea turtle conservation in Indonesia.

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