Susi Lestari - Island Soul: Growing Up and Giving Back on Gili Trawangan

What did you like the most about growing up in Gili Trawangan as a child?

My childhood was very memorable. 30 years ago, there were still not many residents or tourists, so the island wasn’t too crowded. I often spent my time playing on the beach, cycling around the island, playing traditional games, and doing many other activities with my friends. I left Gili to study and graduate from the Faculty of Psychology in 2018.

How long have you been working with the FMPL? What is your role there?

I joined FMPL in 2019. Here, I am responsible for administrative tasks, including assisting customers with registering for waste collection services, preparing letters, drafting proposals as needed, recording customer payments, monitoring employee attendance, and other related duties.

There are lots of exciting new changes for Gili T and waste management. What do the new islands incineration plans mean for the island?

Despite the challenges we currently face in waste management, we are very grateful to have received support in the form of a new incinerator that can help with waste processing. However, there are many things that need to be prepared before it can run efficiently.

In addition, while waiting for the permit to operate the incinerator, we have gradually started implementing a waste segregation system at the source in several companies. The goal is to reduce the accumulation of unsorted trash being disposed of at the landfill.

Alongside handling the waste issues on Gilis, you also specialise in turtle conservation. What tasks do you carry out with Proyek Penyu?

Several of my friends and I are trainers and rangers in Proyek Penyu. Our role is to provide free workshops to business owners and the general public about how to protect nesting sea turtles, with the hope of increasing awareness of how important sea turtles are, especially for tourism.

Other activities I am involved in include releasing turtles, checking and protecting nests, and monitoring when there is information about turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. I also help provide advocacy to protect sea turtles when there are illegal activities that could harm them.

Why do you think it’s important to safeguard the turtle nests on Gili Trawangan?

We know that today sea turtle populations around the world are still threatened with extinction. As a woman who lives on an island with beaches and a sea that are still chosen by sea turtles as their home, it is truly a blessing and a privilege.

Since I was a child, I have been very familiar with seeing many turtles swimming around the beach. Sea turtles have long been an icon of Gili Trawangan and have contributed greatly to the sustainability of tourism on the island. However, for me personally, sea turtles are not just a tourism icon. They play a very crucial role in the marine ecosystem of Gili Trawangan. Protecting them means protecting the entire reef ecosystem.

The rapid growth of tourism requires us to take immediate action to protect the survival of sea turtles. The beaches where they nest are becoming increasingly limited due to human activities. Therefore, providing advocacy to protect them and raising awareness among everyone has become extremely important.

Do you have any secret tips, activities or places to eat for a tourist visiting Gili Trawangan for the first time?

Want to try something different? I would recommend getting to know the friendly local community and spending time with them. You could try homemade food or have a small beach bonfire while eating roasted sweet potatoes and grilled shrimp that can be caught during low tide. I believe this is an experience that is rare to find in other places (At least, as locals, this is something we sometimes do with foreign friends we meet, and they usually really enjoy it 😄). Oh, and certainly, hiking up the hill and watching the sunset from up there!

My guess is you LOVE spicy food?! What is your favourite dish from Gilis/Lombok?

My favourite foods are Ayam Taliwang, Sate Rembiga, and Nasi Balap. They are very easy to find in Gili or Lombok. For some people, these dishes might be quite spicy, but the flavors of the spices are so delicious that they are hard to resist.