community based turtle conservation

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NEW PRICE JUST GBP150 PER WEEK FOR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS

This turtle volunteer project in Perhentian is striving to unify sea turtle conservation in these beautiful Malaysian islands.  The project has the backing of all four major stakeholders – the villagers, the Perhentian Islands Operators Association, Marine Park and the Department of Fisheries.  Through collaborating with all the stakeholders this project is truly a sea turtle community conservation project supported by of course our volunteers and facebook fans.  The local community (villagers and tourists) are the main cause for turtle declines in the Perhentian Islands and this project aims at address the problems they cause to these majestic creatures through working with them.

Aim of the Perhentian Turtle conservation Project

To double the turtle nesting population by 2060 in the Perhentian Islands

Objectives:

1: Ensure 100% of turtle eggs being laid in the islands are incubated safely with a hatching success rate of +80% and the collect of vital sea turtle population data;.

2: Educate the various stakeholders about sea turtle and island conservation with focus on school children and tourists;

3: Collaborate with all major stakeholders – Perhentian village, Perhentian Islands Operators Association, Marine Parks, the Department of Fisheries and other related NGO’s and education institutions;.

Achievements in 2010

  • Eliminated all poaching on one turtle nesting beach in Perhentian;
  • Encouraged the local egg collectors working for the Department of Fisheries to use polystyrene boxes to transport turtle eggs to the government hatchery – increasing turtle hatchling success rates;
  • Educated the primary school children of Perhentian during our fortnightly Turtles need Trees Clubs;
  • Over 3,500 facebook fans which we regularly update and educate about sea turtle conservation and topics;

What we plan for 2011

  • Eliminate poaching from two turtle nesting beaches in Perhentian and collecting relevant data;
  • Inject RM100,000 into the village economy through our Perhentian volunteer program – demonstrating to the villagers in Perhentian that they can make money directly from a healthy sea turtle population;
  • Expand our TnT club to grades 3-6 with a weekly club and also expand to schools on the mainland;
  • Increase awareness amongst tourists throughout the Perhentian islands and at work places and universities in Malaysia;
  • Establish the start of a self-help group in the Perhentian village promoting alternative livelihoods and conservation amongst the villagers in Perhentian;
  • 10,000 facebook fans which we regularly educate about sea turtle conservation and topics

Why are turtle eggs poached?

Eating turtle eggs is a long tradition for the Malay people of Malaysia.  The Malay’s believe the eggs give them fertility and most actually like the taste.  In the 1950’s and 60’s virtually all the turtle eggs would have been traded in the villages and eaten locally.  At RM3 per egg and with approximately 100 eggs per nest you can see this is a lucrative business.  To stem the tide of the turtle egg bonanza the Government introduced a licence system whereby only licensed people can collect eggs.  However the problems lies at the market where sea turtle eggs (NOT leatherback turtle eggs) can be freely traded therefore fuelling a illegal egg collecting.  At writing this it is still legal to sell turtle eggs.  In the marine parks along the coast of Terengganu the Department of Fisheries do not issue any licences therefore any non-department of fisheries staff who collect turtle eggs in marine parks are poaching.  HOPE in Perhentian work alongside the Department of Fisheries by guarding beaches, deterring and reporting turtle egg poachers.

Why do we need to educate tourists?

Turtles especially Green Turtles are very shy animals.  Tourists who harass turtles in the sea or on the beaches at night will cause the turtles to become stressed.  Infact tourists who take photos of turtles can actually affect the eyes of the turtles and cause them to abandon nesting beaches resulting in them aborting their eggs at sea.  Tourists from all over the world are responsible for this and its normally due to a lack of knowledge and once told will behave in a responsible manner.  Another issue which tourists can help with is not paying to release turtle hatchlings using the wrong release method.  Many resorts have been known to keep turtle hatchlings and ask tourists to sponsor their efforts by paying to release a hatchling.  However the releasing is often done in very small numbers and during daylight or twilight hours resulting in a much higher predation rate.  Through informing tourists about this they will not support such efforts thus discouraging bad turtle conservation practice.  Furthermore through engaging tourists in turtle conservation they will tell their friends resulting in not only 1 changed person but possible 10 or 20.

Why do we need to collaborate with the major stakeholders?

Without support from all stakeholders turtle conservation will be difficult.  The numbers are turtle nestings are so low that every turtle nest counts and to save them we all need to pull in the same direction.  Involving the resorts in good conservation practice allows HOPE to spread our eyes and protect more beaches as resorts become guardians of their own particular beach or area of beach.  Furthermore these resorts can informed more tourists about good turtle conservation practices.  The most important stakeholder to collaborate with is the village.  It is essentially the villagers and people living on the islands who are poaching the majority of the turtle eggs.  Through working closely with the villagers, providing turtle conservation jobs (boatmen etc) and with volunteers eating and staying in the village the economy of the village directly benefits from turtle conservation.  The boast to the village economy and providing English lessons and marine awareness to the school children will help to develop a village proud of their sea turtles thus instead of eating the eggs they become guardians of the turtles of Perhentian.

Why are sea turtles nearly extinct in Malaysia?

Life as a turtle hatchling can seem to us a painful means of survival, with a lot going  against them to make it to open water from the nest. But that’s nature- survival of the  fittest. They do not need human impacts adding to their already challenging lives but  we add greatly.  It is predicted that naturally 1 in 1,000 turtle eggs becomes a  sexually mature adult however recent studies suggest that due to human impacts  this ratio increases to 1 in 10,000! Some turtle populations have declined by 99% in  just 50 years and are virtually locally extinct in Malaysia with under 40 nests per  year for Hawksbill turtles and under 10 nests per year for Olive Ridley and  Leatherback turtles in Terengganu. Here are some of the reasons why:-

  • Turtle eggs have been eaten by the local people for centuries, on most beaches 100% of turtle eggs have been harvested by the local people;
  • Turtle babies instinctively crawl towards light on the open horizon and into the sea, artificial light from buildings disrupts this essential behaviour and baby turtles get lost on land and die or are eaten by predators;
  • Urban development displace nesting beach space;
  • Tourists touching, getting to close or in the turtles view of sight disturb the turtles who will abort nests and because of the experience and stressed involved will be more susceptible to disease;
  • As juveniles and adults, sea turtles are threatened by incidental capture in commercial fishing nets or long-lines, by disease and marine pollution.

Why are sea turtles worth saving?

Sea turtles play an important ecological role and help maintain species diversity and the natural balance of fragile reef systems. For instance, the shells of loggerhead turtles provide habitats for dozens of species including the Columbus crab. The Hawksbill turtle feed on sponges and prevent them from out-competing slow growing marine corals. Green turtles graze on sea grass to maintain the health of the seagrass bed. But the most important reason is that sea turtles have been around since before the time of the dinosaurs. One of the few species that remain since the dawn of human evolution is now threatened to extinction by humans. More emotionally, once you have sat near a turtle mother laying her eggs and followed turtle babies dashing for the sea in the race for life, you experience how fragile life is for these highly endangered animals.

Unless we work together creatively to reverse this situation the turtles are doomed. You can help change this as part of our team, on the Turtle Expedition Terengganu.

How you can make a differencenadeem
By being a turtle volunteer at the Perhentian Turtle volunteer project in Perhentian you will not only help to safe guard 2 out of the 4 major nesting beaches in Perhentian but also contribute to spreading awareness which will escalate as the people you spoke to tell their friends.  Even just coming for 2 weeks you can make a big impact helping to improve the childrens English or marine awareness so in the future they can become future turtle guides and your visit will inject RM1000 into the village economy (2 months salary for most of the villagers) encouraging the villagers to protect their sea turtles.

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