Volunteer

Help local tourists to snorkel

The turtle volunteer project in Perhentian is at its infancy.  But by volunteering at the project you will play a part at the start of a significant conservation project.  By patrolling the beach at night or picking up a piece of litter you are contributing to a far bigger impact when all the volunteers contributions are combined just think the poachers will not come to the beach because of you and tons of plastic will be removed from the sea.

This project strives to be a sea turtle community conservation project which is funded and supported by paying volunteers.  The local community (villagers and tourists) are the main cause for turtle declines in the South China Sea and this project aims at retying the problems caused by the community in the Perhentian islands.

Educate local tourists staying at Bubbles Dive Resort when you give them a turtle or shark awareness talk or take them on a snorkel tour showing them fish and how past snorkelers have damage the coral. Then teach primary school children about the island ecosystem at the primary school in Perhentian village in HOPE’s unique Turtles need Trees club.  In 2010 HOPE are also proposing to pilot groups including school fieldtrips (14 to 18 year olds) who come to learn about turtles, coral and reef fish at this project site.  If you are lucky enough to volunteer at the project at the same time you will teach these groups about one aspect and then be proud of them when they give their own presentation to the tourists further spreading environmental awareness.

At night play your part in sea turtle conservation by protecting nesting female green turtles from poachers, it is important to note that we do not have our own turtle hatchery yet but the eggs are collected by the Department of Fisheries.  The Department of Fisheries replants the eggs in their protected hatchery where the eggs can incubate in peace.

Play football in the Perhentian village

Collecting data from the environment is the third important aspect of the turtle conservation project in Perhentian.   In the first week you will take part in a Coral Watch (visit www.coralwatch.org) snorkel survey and reef fish survey whilst also taking daily river discharge and weekly beach profile measurements.  During the second week volunteers will take part in forest surveys based on the methodology used by Coral Cay Conservation who first completed an inventory on the islands in 2003.  Collection of data in 2010 is at a pilot stage and will be perfected over the year when all methodology will be tried and tested and ready for expansion to survey sites around the Perhentian Islands in 2011 for HOPE proper.

We think it is vital to stress this is the first year this actual program will be running and for volunteers to come open minded about the project as changes are inevitable as the project progresses.  But it is an exciting time to volunteer as your ideas may help to direct the project in the future.  It is important to view this project as a program which has fixed goals but the route to take is an open book for you as a volunteer to help guide.  As the project becomes more set the room for flexibility will decrease and room for adapting to individuals skills will decrease.  However volunteers will always bring their own unique experiences and skills which we will seek to use for the betterment of the conservation of sea turtles in Perhentian.