The gentle creatures that once lived with ancient sea creatures are now facing extinction. WWF investigates the causes of decline of turtles in Malaysian shores, lists the ongoing efforts that are in place to help monitor and conserve the current populations, and suggests the ways that we as individuals can follow to protect turtles.

Written by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Malaysia) on 16 Feb 2008 with 0 comments. Be the first!

Ancient, graceful and strong, sea turtles have captivated mankind for centuries. Hindu philosophers believe that Earth was carried upon the back of four elephants which stood on the back of a turtle. For them the turtle symbolises the foundation supporting our living planet and all its life. An old Malay legend tells of the magical Batu Penyu in Rantau Abang, Terengganu, which attracts turtles to nest there every nesting season; usually between April and August every year.

Not only do turtles enrich our stories, they also play a practical role in maintaining healthy coral reefs and seagrass beds. These ecosystems are important for the tourist and fisheries industries. Scientists believe that hawksbills may maintain the health of coral reef systems by grazing on sponges, which if left to grow unchecked, outgrow the corals, cover them up and kill the reef. Because of this, researchers believe that declining hawksbill numbers may be a factor in the inability of reefs to resist increasing pressures from pollution, algal overgrowth, overfishing and climate change.

Green turtles are largely herbivorous, and their constant grazing on sea grasses increases the healthiness and growth rate of seagrass beds. Leatherback turtles are the top predators of oceanic jellyfish, which eat larval fish. As leatherback numbers decrease, jellyfish may increase locally and eat more larval fish, leaving fewer fish to grow into adults. A wide variety of marine ecosystems dependent on these fish, and indeed commercial fisheries, may end up suffering from this cascading effect.

Sea turtles are undeniably valuable to us. Fortunately, Malaysian shores serve as nesting grounds for four turtle species: hawksbills, olive ridleys, leatherbacks and green turtles. The other three remaining marine turtle species are loggerheads, Kemp's ridleys and flatbacks. However, these ancient creatures that have swum in the world's oceans for more than 100 million years face threats in today's world:

• Humans hunt sea turtles for their meat, eggs and shells, greatly reducing their numbers in the wild.

• Improper fishing techniques have caused many sea turtles to get caught in fishing nets and drown.

• Polluted seas pose a problem for turtles. Leatherbacks, for instance, often mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, and die after eating such litter.

• The destruction of their habitat, from overly rapid coastal development too near their nesting beaches, negatively impacts the number of successful nestings and the survival of hatchlings.

Hope for Turtles

Conservation organisations like WWF-Malaysia are working hard to conserve sea turtles. In 2006 and 2007, WWF-Malaysia fitted five hawksbills that nested on Melaka's beaches with satellite transmitters. 2007 satellite telemetry findings showed that they travelled 200 to 300 kilometres from their nesting beach, swimming all the way to the Riau Archipelago in Indonesian seas and the southern Singaporean waters to forage. Track their sea journey at: http://wwf.org.my/malacca/hawksbill_turtle_tracking

It may be too early to assume that a large number of the nesting hawksbills in Melaka migrate from a population concentrated around the Riau Archipelago, but the discovery of these five turtles' foraging grounds located within a radius of the same geographical region is an indication - and a compelling reason to initiate transboundary, multinational efforts to conserve turtles.

In addition to efforts to track hawksbills via satellite telemetry, 17 turtles were tagged during the 2006 nesting season (May to August) on Pulau Upeh, and the information gained from tracking their movements will enable scientists to optimise efforts to conserve these gentle creatures. Another reason for optimism is the 75% average hatch rate of Pulau Upeh turtle eggs handled by WWF-Malaysia (hatch rate is considered successful at 70%).

In Kerteh, Terengganu, where WWF-Malaysia has been involved in turtle conservation efforts in Ma'Daerah since the 1980's, several achievements were recorded. Among these is the successful hatch rate that averages 81% over the past 5 years. WWF-Malaysia has also set up and helped establish a community-based organisation known as Persatuan Khazanah Rakyat Ma'Daerah (MEKAR). Together with MEKAR, several awareness activities have been carried out, such as turtle conservation awareness workshops and road shows, dialogue sessions with fishermen as well as talks in 17 schools in Paka, Kerteh and Kemasik that were attended by approximately 3500 schoolchildren.

WWF-Malaysia thanks the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, Public Bank, Nokia (M) Sdn Bhd and our valued individual supporters. Without them, these conservation successes would not have been possible.

How You Can Help Turtles

• Do not eat dishes that include turtle meat or eggs.

• Do not buy products made from turtle parts, such as "tortoiseshell" (hawksbill turtle shell) jewellery.

• Do not litter. Marine turtles can die after eating plastic bags thrown into the sea, which they can easily mistake for jellyfish.

• Donate to environmental conservation organisations like WWF-Malaysia. Log on to wwf.org.my or SMS WWF your full name e-mail address, to 39398. RM3 per SMS. Standard telco charges apply. Terms & conditions: wwf.org.my