Strengthening Sea Turtle Conservation Awareness and Literacy Through The Sustainable International Community Service Program At The Turtle Conservation and Education Center, Serangan Village, Bali

Abstract

This study aims to examine the sea turtle conservation efforts carried out at the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) in Serangan Village, Denpasar, Bali, as experienced by students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas PGRI Semarang, through the Sustainable International Community Service (SICS) program. This international community service activity was conducted on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, under the theme "Sea Turtle Conservation in Serangan Village." A descriptive qualitative case study approach was employed by combining direct field observation, participatory involvement in conservation activities, and in-depth interviews with a TCEC educator as the key informant, followed by descriptive-thematic analysis of the collected data. The results showed that TCEC manages sea turtle conservation through four integrated stages: egg rescue and relocation, semi-natural incubation, rehabilitation of injured or illegally traded sea turtles, and community participation through hatchling adoption and release programs, which also generate donation-based funding for its operations. The field findings further revealed that incubation temperature greatly influences the sex ratio of hatchlings, that a female sea turtle can mate with several male sea turtles to maintain genetic diversity, and that TCEC has developed nine partner conservation sites throughout Bali. Before the program was implemented, the students had only limited theoretical knowledge regarding sea turtle biology and the threats to their conservation; after the program, the students demonstrated a significant improvement in their understanding of sea turtle ecology, conservation techniques, and the socio-economic dimensions of community-based ecotourism. The program is concluded to have effectively strengthened the students' ecological awareness while supporting the sustainability of TCEC through education-based tourism.