From mass tourism to citizen science: Harnessing tourism for sea turtle conservation in the Riau archipelago

Abstract

Tourism expansion across tropical islands increasingly threatens coastal ecosystems through artificial lighting, shoreline modification, and human disturbance. Indonesia illustrates these pressures acutely: the Indonesian archipelago hosts six of the world’s seven sea turtle species, four of which nest locally, yet populations remain under stress from historical exploitation, fisheries bycatch, and ongoing habitat loss (SWOT, 2024; UNEP, 2023). Within the Riau Archipelago, rising visitation intensity has amplified risks to nesting beaches. However, structured citizen science- defined as standardized, expert-supervised participation of visitors and resort staff in data collection offers an emerging mechanism to align tourism with conservation goals. Despite growing global interest in citizen science, few empirical studies have quantified its outcomes within small-island eco-tourism contexts in Southeast Asia. This study addresses that gap by assessing how eco-tourism–driven citizen science contributes to sea turtle conservation outcomes at two private islands in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago: Nikoi Island (initiated 2007, within the Bintan MPA since 2022) and Cempedak Island (initiated 2017). From 2017 to 2024, trained guides conducted nightly patrols, safeguarded nests through relocation and fencing, and performed standardized post-emergence excavations, while guests participated under low-disturbance protocols. Across both sites, 197 nests yielded over 7,000 hatchlings, with pandemic laps in 2020-2011, suggesting program resilience. The results demonstrate that citizen science embedded within eco-tourism can enhance nesting success, generate reliable monitoring data, and finance sustained protection. These findings underscore the potential for structured visitor engagement to shift tourism from a source of ecological pressure toward a replicable model of local stewardship. Future integration with long-term photo-identification and genetic monitoring could further validate trends in remigration and site fidelity, strengthening evidence for population recovery in community-based conservation frameworks.