(Stuewe, Oct. 1998)

The wives of fisherfolk of the Sulu Sea weave mats made of leaves of screwpine (Pandanus tectorius), a wide-ranging coastal plant found on Indo-Pacific islands. The strap-like leaves, often over a meter long, are boiled; and each leaf is then cleaned, removing the sharp spines on the margins and midrib. The strips are dyed, sorted and individually smoothed and straightened, before weaving begins. Each mat weaver creates a design based on her personal training and artistic preferences - no written designs or plans are used, so no two mats are identical. The design of each Pandanus mat is a true artistic expression of the weaver. Typical of this region, each sleeping mat is composed of a plain background, on which a more finely woven second mat with the design is sewn.

                                                    (Stuewe, Oct. 1998)

These mats are woven by women from Boan, Lihiman and Taganak Islands, Tawi Tawi Province, Philippines, a critical part of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA). The most important nesting ground for green turtles remaining in Asia, the TIHPA is also one of the most important nesting areas for green turtles in the world. In addition to its biological importance, the TIHPA is the world's first and only trans-frontier protected area, resulting from a unique working relationship between the governments of Malaysia and the Philippines.

There are a total of nine islands in TIHPA, three under the jurisdiction of Sabah Parks, and six form part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. All three of the Sabah islands (Bakkungan Kechil, Gulisaan and Selingaan) have been managed as strict nature reserves since 1977. Of the six Philippine islands (Baguan, Taganak, Langaan, Lihiman, Boan and Great Bakkungan), Baguan was declared a Marine Turtle Sanctuary in 1982, while the remaining five islands host a total human population of nearly 2,500. Most of these people are Jama Mapun, originating mainly from the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi area, south Sulu Sea; more recently, Tausug people have arrived from the Sulu and Tawi Tawi areas, between the Sulu and Celebes Seas.

Human densities (800 people/km) are four times as high on the Turtle Islands as in the rest of Philippines. Also, the intensity of turtle egg harvesting - although legally regulated - is extremely high, and overall hatchling recruitment on the five inhabited islands is low. Growing problems of land and fresh water availability, competition with highly mechanized fishing vessels, and isolation from the central government result in urgently needed social programs, including alternative sources of income. The production of Pandanus mats in commercial quantities is a potential alternative livelihood for the women of the Turtle Islands. In an effort to initiate this alternative income source, the Ocean Ambassadors team developed a pilot project in which