Jalapala Lestari Indonesia Foundation

Protecting Indonesia's seas through science and community

We monitor coral reefs, seagrass, and sea turtles around Lombok and the Gili Islands, and train students and volunteers to do the same.

Join a program Upload a turtle photo

—sea turtles identified

—turtle sightings recorded

—monitoring sites

—provinces covered

Who we are

An independent Indonesian non-profit for marine research and education

Jalapala Lestari Indonesia Foundation (Marine Conservation Indonesia) works to conserve and sustainably manage Indonesia's marine ecosystems, which are among the most biodiverse in the world.

Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and marine wildlife support both livelihoods and biodiversity. We work with communities, scientists, and policymakers to tackle overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, and we share our data to support better decisions.

Vision

Sustainable management of Indonesia's marine ecosystems, supporting livelihoods and biodiversity.

Mission

Empower communities, scientists, and policymakers to protect and restore Indonesia's marine ecosystems for future generations.

More about us →

Programs

Learn by doing real conservation work

Hands-on field programs for students, divers, and organizations. All programs include training in standardized monitoring methods.

Underwater reef monitoring along a transect line

Scuba · Weekly

Weekly Scuba Diver Program

Coral, fish, and megabenthos monitoring, coral planting, and turtle photo-ID. Private room at an eco bungalow in Kecinan, North Lombok, with three meals a day.

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Participants during a daily conservation activity

Scuba · Daily

Daily Program

Short on time? Join a one-day conservation dive with our team. Open to groups of 1 to 10 participants.

Sea turtle photographed for photo identification

Snorkel · No scuba needed

Sea Turtle Photo-ID

Record and identify sea turtles at three spots around the Gilis. Includes e-learning, 1 night's stay, private boat, and snorkel gear. Max 4 people.

IDR 3,500,000

See details & register →

Snorkel · No scuba needed

Seagrass Monitoring

Practical training in seagrass cover, species composition, density, and associated biota. Includes e-learning, 4 nights' stay, and equipment.

IDR 6,500,000

See schedule & register →

Short courses: Coral Seagrass Mangrove Diving

Citizen science · Find your turtle →

e-Turtle Indonesia

Every sea turtle has a unique pattern of scales on the side of its face, like a fingerprint. The pattern stays the same for life, so a good photo is all we need to recognise a turtle. No tags, no handling.

Upload a photo

How to photograph a turtle for Photo-ID

Left side of a green turtle's head showing its facial scale pattern — 1Left side of the faceHead side-on, from the nose to the back of the head. This is the main photo we use for matching.

Right side of the same green turtle's head — 2Right side of the faceThe left and right patterns are different, so photograph both sides if you can.

The same green turtle's shell photographed from above — 3Shell from aboveHelps us confirm the species and estimate the turtle's size.

Close, sharp side-on photo of a hawksbill turtle's face — ✓**Close and sharp**Hawksbill turtle: every scale on the face is clearly visible.

Hawksbill turtle photographed side-on while resting on the reef — ✓**Calm and side-on**Photographed while resting, without disturbing the turtle.

Photos 1 to 3 show the same green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Photos 4 and 5 are hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Do

Shoot the head straight from the side, with the camera parallel to the face.
Fill the frame with the head, so every scale behind the eye is visible.
Take several shots and keep the sharpest ones.
Note the date, time, location (GPS if possible), and depth.

Don't

Chase, touch, block, or feed the turtle. Keep a calm distance.
Use flash close to the turtle's eyes.
Send only front, back, or angled shots. The scale pattern can't be read from them.
Send blurry or heavily filtered photos.

Recently identified

Find your turtle →

e-Coral IndonesiaCoral reef monitoring reports e-Turtle IndonesiaSea turtle photo-ID database e-Elasmobranch IndonesiaShark and ray records

See us in the field

Life on a conservation dive

Scholarship

RAISE Scholarship

RAISE supports students who want to study and do research on coral reef ecosystems. Our goal is to grow the number of marine science experts in Indonesia and protect our oceans based on scientific principles.

Dives funded by Oceans5 Dive Resort, Gili Air Committed to supporting marine research and activities in Gili Matra.

Ask about RAISE

Ready to dive in with us?

Ask about program dates, group bookings, or research collaboration. We usually reply within a day.

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