- Turtle Conservation Society

KIJSTCM
_+.rologi
Kolej-nivenrtt
Sains
r,llaysia
:an
InauguralLecture
of
Prof.GhanEng Heng,phD, pJK
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Turtlo$
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22 Juty2004
siri syarahan
fnaugurar
KusTEM:T(2004)
Data
NegaraMalaysiaCataloguing-in-Publication
Perpustakaan
Chan,Eng Heng
Turtlesin Trouble/ ChanEng Heng
(SiriSyarahanInauguralKUSTEM:7 (200a)
tsBN 983-2888-07-7
2. Wildlifeconservation1. Turtles-Conservation-Malaysia.
Malaysia.l. Title. ll. Series
597.9209595
SIRI SYARAHANINAUGURALKUSTEM
1. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUT 1 (2000)
Perspective
Fisheries
and the NationalFoodSecurity:The Malaysian
Prof. Dr. Mohd.AzmiAmbak
2. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUT: 2 (2000)
Development
Perspective
of OceanModelling:The Malaysian
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Livio Camerlengo
3. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUT: 3 (2000)
Intothe Wondersof SurfactantBehaviour
Prof. Dr. HamdanSuhaimi
4. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUT: 4 (2000)
FoodChainin the Sea - lts Values,Challenges
and Prospects
Prof. Dr. Lokman Shamsudin
5. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUSTEM:5 (2002)
Worldof Flukes
The Fascinating
Prof. Dr. FaizahMohd. Shaharom
6. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUSTEM:6 (2002)
The Widthis Unreachable,
the Travelis at the Speedof Light
Prof. Dr. lsmail Mohd.
7. SiriSyarahanInauguralKUSTEM:7 (2004)
Turtlesin Trouble
Prof. Dr. Chan Eng Heng
T A B L EOF C ONTENTS
1 . Introduction
2 . MalaysianTurtlesand Population
Status
MarineTurtles
Tortorsesand FreshwaterTurtles
Causesof Population
Decline
Egg Exploitation
CommercialHarvestand Trade
Fisherieslmpacts
HabitatDestruction
Pollution
Negativelmpactsof Tourism
lnadequate
Legislation
Lack of Research
Lackof Coordination
and a NationalPolicvon Turtles
3
4
8
8
9
10
10
12
12
13
1?
14
in Malaysia
14
MeasuresUndertaken
4. Conservation
and Management
14
Legislation
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
. .5. . .
E g gP r o t e c t i o n
Areas
15
Establishment
of Sanctuaries/ Protected
Reductionof FishingMortality
17
PublicEducation
and
Agreements
17
Regionaland International
Conventions
of KUSTEMin TurtleResearchand Conservation
5. Contributions
o.
Concluding
Remarks
17
zl
7 . Acknowledgements
25
8. References
26
TURTLES IN TROUBLE
lntroduction
Turtleshave evolvedover 300 millionyearsto occupya vast varietyof habitatson earth.
They roam the oceans,inhabitswamps,lakes and rivers,and tread grasslands,forests,
deserts,lowlandsand highlands.These habitatshave offeredrefuge,food, nestingand
breedinggroundsand helpedthem flourishon earth.The turtlesin turn have performed
to the maintenance
of healthyecosystemson landas
theirecologicalrolesand contributed
well as in the oceans.
The evolutionarysuccessof turtlesis attributedto their basicbodyform,the shellthat has
remainedunchangedthroughtime. Providedwith a naturalarmour,most specieshave
foundno necessityto developstrongaggressivebehaviouror offensivebody partsfor self
defence.The gentleand unobtrusivenatureof many of the specieshas inspiredmankind
throughthe ages,helpedshapehis character(seeBox 1) and providedhim with a muchneededsourceof proteinand income.Many of the culturalpracticesof nativetribesand
even some modernsocietiesrevolvearoundturtles(Kemf,ef a/.,2000).
of turtlesto mankindhas been short-lived.Their populationsizes
Sadly,the contributions
that ran into the millionsin the past have become severelydepletedover the last few
decades.The survivalof many speciesof turtles is now in jeopardy.Six of the seven
existingspeciesof marineturtlesare now in dangerof extinction,with three of them
criticallyendangered(lUCN, 1996).Freshwaterturtlesand tortoisesfare no better.Nearly
half of the living 300 speciesare threatenedwith extrnction,with Asia identifiedas the
geographicregionwith the greatestpercentageof threatenedspecies(TurtleConservation
animalsfrom South and SoutheastAsia for
Fund,2002).Here,trade in wild-collected
marketsin China,Hong Kong,and Taiwanhave placedthe speciesin an unprecedented
survivalcrisis(Rhodin,2000).
communityto developactionplansaimedat
The turtlecrisishas promptedthe international
arrestingthe extinctionpathwayof turtles.ln 2002, The TurtleConservationFund, a
partnershipinitiativeof Conservation
International,
the IUCN/SSCTortoiseand Freshwater
launcheda GlobalAction
TurtleSpecialistGroupand the IUCN/SSCTurtleSurvivalAlliance
Fund,2OO2).
Turtles(TurtleConservation
of Tortoises
and Freshwater
Planfor Conservation
of
Likewise,the marineturtlecommunitydevelopeda GlobalStrategyfor the Conservation
suchasthe MoUonASEANSea
in'1995(lUCN,1995).Regionalagreements
MarineTurtles
and Managementof
and Protectionand the MoU on the Conservation
TurtleConservation
Asiaare now in forceto
MarineTurtlesand theirHabitatsof the IndianOceanand Southeast
reversethe declineof marineturtlesin this partof the world.
The stircausedby the globalturtlecrisisdoesnot seemto haverippledthroughto Malaysia.
andeatingwhatmaybe theverylast
arestillbenton collecting
Manyof thecoastalcommunities
clutchesof eggsto be deposited.Liketheircounterparisin otherpartsof the world,the turtlesof
Malaysiaare in trouble.Threeof the four marinespeciesthat neston its beachesare on the
speciesare in dramaticdecline.
whilemorethana thirdof its 14 freshwater
vergeof extinction
thathavebeenrecordedin Malaysia.
turtlesor tortoises
Littleis knownaboutthefourterrestrial
tuttles; i, trouble
1
Thispaperwillexaminethe statusof the speciesof turtlesthatoccurin Malaysia,
highlight
factorsthat threatentheir survivaland assessconservationeffortscurrentlyin practicein
thecountry.The roleof the University
Collegeof ScienceandTechnology
Malaysia(KUSTEM)
through its Sea Turtle ResearchUnit (SEATRU)in turtle researchand conservation,
particularly
in bringingaboutthe recoveryof someof the localturtlepopulations
in Terengganu
is also presented.
B o x 1 : M O T H E RT U R T L E
The following informationabout the tuftle was extractedfrom a letter written over 50 yearsago
to Dr. E.M. Hoffmanfrom a Creek Indianelder,by the name of J.R. Daniels.
"Turtle in many tribes, is a deep and abiding spiritual symbol. The turtle is Mother
Earth...andrepresentsEarth's many blessings to us. Turtle is a circle; its shell is fragmented, but it is bound together.Just as are the many different peoplesof our country.
Turtle cannot see all of its shell, but turtle knows it is whole and all there. This is the
element that demonstratesfaith.
Turtle is beauty.Turtleteaches cleanliness,strength,and protectionof all living things.
fortitude of turtle teaches bravery, silence, and obedience to natural law. Turtle is
The
a truth symbol, so speak what is true when you have dreamed of a turtle. You cannot
speak truth unless you are fair and reverent to all living things. To be like turtle, is to be
of character.
Keep the turtle in your heart...thenyou will be kind, unselfish,and happy.Turtle is not
concerned with speed, but with accuracy. Completion is more important to a journey
than haste,especiallyon the road of life.Turtleis the whole embodimentof wisdom. The
shell rises up towards the Great Spirit, but the shell is also downward in the direction of
mother earth...seekbalancebetweenthese two...seekbalancein all things,just as earth
and sky are balanced.
Turtleseems ageless,truth is eternaland wisdom long lasting.She has helpedothers to
become themselves.She taught them to swim, and gave her back so they could rest on
it when tired. Just when you feel you have learnedall you can from her,turtle will teach
you again.After all she is ageless.
Turtle seems never possessedof things but carries her home within her own life. Carry
your home in your heart, not in your things. Turtle is an exampleof right living and right
action...Tofollow turtle is to move towards what your people call God in your life. ....
Turtle keeps moving, and may even die while crossing an obstacle before giving up.
Dedication and patience are its companions. While turtle is often seen alone... lt is
content between earth and sky with its ever present home. Perhapswe too should see
our environmentas our "ever present" home betweenearth and sky.
watermarkis from an aftwork by Chang Fee Ming
turtles:'.,,"trouble
2
MalaysianTurtlesand PopulationStatus
Peopleare sometimesconfusedoverthe termsturtles,tortoisesand terrapins."Turtle"is a
generalterm that can be appliedto all speciesfoundin the orderTestudines,
i.e. reptiles
which havea shell. Henceit includesmarine,freshwaterand terrestrialspecies.Tortoises
usuallyreferto terrestrial
turtleswhileterrapinsincludeall specieslivingin freshwater,
be
they hardor soft-shelled.
All formsof turtlesare foundin Malaysia.
Marine Turtles
Fourof thesevenextantspeciesof marineturtlesoccurin Malaysia
(Fig.1). Theleatherback
turtle(Dermochelys
coriacea)nestsprimarilyon the mainlandbeachesof Terengganu,
along
a l 5 k m s t r e t c h o fb e a c h c e n t r e d i n R a n t a u A b aTnhge. g r e e n t u r t l e ( C h e l o n i a m y d a s ) i s
more widely distributed,with the most importantnestingpopulationsoccurringin Sabah
and SarawakTurtlelslands.Othernestingbeachescan be foundin Terengganu
(mainlyin
Redangand Perhentian
lslands,Kemamanand Kerteh),Pahang(Chendorand Cherating),
Perak(PantaiRemis)and Sipadanlslandin Sabah.The hawksbillturtle(Eretmochelys
imbricata)has only two remainingimportantnestingpopulations,in the Sabah Turtle
lslands(principally
Gulisaanlsland)and Melaka,withremnantpopulations
in Terengganu,
Johore and elsewhere.The nestingstatus of the olive ridley (Lepidochelysolivacea)is
fragmentary,
with isolatedcasesof nestingreportedin the SarawakTurtlelslands,Penang,
Terengganu
and Kelantan.
CARAPAC
E
Leatherback
Penyu
Belimbing
/6--.
YJ
R
<=v
\L-/
'w'ffi
i*,,**,"""
"
^@-
F i g u r e1. .
rongtluotnat
rrog!s
carapaca
Hawksbill
A simpleidentification
guideto distinguish
betweenthe four species
of marineturtlesfoundin
Malaysia(Adaptedfrom
Beath,1981).
PLAS]RON
Penyu Karah
no scutos
scutes
7-+€71
-'\
hawk - lrke
4 lateral/costat
scules
GreenTurtle
PenyuAgar
C rntreil!rginal
1 par. of prefro^tal
2 pairs ot
p.rlronta I
OliveRidley
Penyu Lipas
t""'""
,/1
@
turtles'':' trouble
3
5 - 9 p e i r so t
lateral sCut!S
-"@
rntromargina I
The populationstatusof marineturtlesis measuredby the numberof nestsproducedby the
variousspeciesper year, a figure that can be convenientlydeterminedby countingthe
number of nests depositedon the nestingbeaches.This figure does not providean
indicationof the actualpopulationsizesinceit measuresonlythe maturefemaleturtlesthat
ascendthe beachesto nest. Further,each individuallays betweenfour to six clutchesof
eggs per nestingseason.The turtlesdo not nest every year,with each nestingcycle
separatedby an intervalof two to eightyears.
Exceptfor the Sabah populations,
most nestingtrendsare in decline.The most dramatic
declinesare exhibitedin the leatherbacks,
hawksbills
and oliveridleysof Terengganu
where
currentnestingnumbersindicate
thatthesespeciesareviftually
extinct(Fig.2). Theleatherback
populationhas plummetedfrom 10,000annualnestingsin the early50'sto lessthana dozen
in recentyears(Chanand Liew,1996;2001).Althoughhistorical
data is not availablefor the
hawksbilland olive ridleysof Terengganu,
their declinesare no less dramaticthan the
leatherbacks.
Greenturtlepopulations
in Terengganu
havenot beenmonitoredsufficiently
to
providea clear pictureof the nestingtrends,but anecdotalevidencesuggestsdeclinesof
over 80%.Currentnestingdensityaverages2,000per year(Fig.2).
Nestingtrends in the green turtlesof the SarawakTurtle lslandsover the last 30 years
appearto be tn equilibrium,
withtwo to threethousandnestingsoccuringper year(Fig.2).
In the early50's,nestingsof over20,000peryearhavebeenrecorded,
indicating
a decline
of over90% (Tisenand Bali,2000).
Only the greenturtlepopulationsof the SabahTurtlelslandshave stageda recovery,with
currentannualdensitiesof over 8,000 nestingsrepresenting
a threefoldincreaseover
levelsrecordedin the early1980's(Fig.2). This remarkable
recoveryis attributed
to bold
conservation
decisionsmade by the SabahGovernment
more than 30 yearsago in the
1970'swhen the Turtle lslandswere compulsorily
acquiredfrom privateownershipto
providecompleteprotectionto the nestingturtlesand their eggs on the islands.However,
the hawksbillpopulationhere has not faredas well and appearsto be in steadydeclinein
the lastten years(Fig.2). Currently,nestingdensityrangesfrom 400 to 500 per year. The
other hawksbillnestingpopulationof importanceoccursin Melakawhere over 250 nests
per yearcan stillbe found(Fig.2).
Tortoises and FreshwaterTurtles
Tortoisesand freshwaterturtlesshowa higherdiversitythantheirmarinecounterparts,
with
257 livingspeciesdescribedto date (Ernstand Barbour,1989).About 100 speciesare
nativetoAsia (vanDijk,2000)while18 havebeenrecordedin Malaysia(Table1, Sharma
and Tisen,2000).The distribution
and populationstatusof the freshwaterturtlesand
tortoisesof Malaysiais virtuallyunknown.The speciesthat are huntedfor local use and
exportare believedto be quitedepleted,with Chitrachifraknownto be wipedout morethan
ren yearsago.
turtlesir;,trouble
4
Figure2. Nestingtrendsobservedin the majornesting
populationsof marinetuftlesin Malaysia
Terengganu
Hawksbill,
Terengganu
Leatherback,
800
140
120
600
a
100
o
z
60
o
400
5
6
z
200
40
20
0
I 984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 l99E 2000
1984 l9E6
1988 1990 1992 1994 t996
Year
500
1998 2000
Year
Greenturtle,Terengganu
6000
OliveRidley,Terengganu
5000
400
,""" l
- -\
o
z .:": \
a
300
o
z
200
100
looo
0
II
o
1 98 4 ! 9 A 6 1 9 8 8 1 9 9 0 1 9 9 2 t 9 9 4 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 8 2 0 0 0
1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 199a 2000
Year
Y ear
Greenturtle,Sabah
H a w k s b i l lS
, abah
10 0 0
12000
800
loooo
o
q,
o
2
EOO0
sooo
a
4 0 00
200
2000
0
1970
0
,.990
1980
1990
l9 70
Year
Y ear-
Greenturtle.SarawakTurtlelslands
5000
500
Hawksbill,Melaka
400
4 000
o
o) 3000
j:
E zooo
z
100
1000
o
r970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
1990
2000
r992
1994
1996
Year
Year
turtless*'strouble
5
199I
Table1. Nativefreshwaterturtlesand tortoisesin Malaysiaand utilization
(extracted
from Sharmaand Tisen,2000),
Trionychidae
Asiaticsoftshellturtle
Malayansoftshellturtle
Asiangiantsoftshellturtle
SoutheastAsianstripedgiant
softshellturtle
Bataguridae
Riverterrapin
Paintedterrapin
Malaysiangiantturtle
GiantAsianpondturtle
Spinyturtle
Amyda caftilaginea
Doganiasubplana
Pelochelys cantorii
Chitra chitra
Batagurbaska
Callagurborneoensis
Orlitia borneoensis
Heosemysgrandis
Heosemyssp/nosa
Known use
Eggsas food.pet trade,as meat
source,medicinaluse
As above
Eggsas food,medicinaluse
Probablyas meatsourcein the past
Asian leaf turtle
Asian box turtle
Cyclemys dentate
Cuoroamboinensis
Yellow-headed
templeturtle
Malayanflat-shelled
turtle
Malayansnail-eating
turtle
Blackmarshturtle
Hieremys annandalii
Notochelysplatynota
Malayemys subtrijuga
SiebenrockieIIa crassico//is
Eggsas food,medicinaluse
As above
Pet trade,meatsource
Pettrade.meatsource.religioususe
Pettrade,meatsource,medicinaland
religioususe
Pettrade,meatsource
Pettrade,meatsource,religiousand
medicinaluse
R e l i g i o uuss e
Pet trade,meatsource
Meatsource
Pet trade,meatsource
Manouria emys
Manouriaimpressa
lndotestudoelongata
Eggsas food,pet trade,as meatsource
Pet trade,meatsource
Pet trade,meatsource
Testudinidae
Asian browntortoise
lmpressedtortoise
Elongatedtortoise
The recordskeptby the Departmentof Wildlifeand NationalParksMalaysia(DWNP)at the
providean indication
BukitPalohhead-starting
facilityfor riverterrapinsin Terengganu
of the
trendsin annualeggproduction
alongthe Dungunand Terengganu
Riversfrom1995-2001
(Fig.3). The figuresdo not representactualpopulationstatussinceeggs are collectedonly
from banksgazettedas sanctuaries.
The downwardtrendof the graphis evidentand clearly
indicatesthe steadydeclineof the nestingpopulation
of riverterrapinsin Terengganu.
In the
programmeexistsfor the river
Setiu Riverin NorthernTerengganu
where no conservation
terrapin,localegg collectorsreportthatseveralhundrednestsweredepositedannuallyin the
past comparedto 4'1 nests in 2003 and 30 in 2004. ln Perak,the numberof riverterrapin
nestsdepositedalongthe PerakRiverplummetedfrom 1275 in 1993to 48 nestsin 2003
(DWNq unpublished
data).
Datafor the paintedterrapin,extractedfrom reportsof the meetingsof the TurtleSanctuary
AdvisoryCouncilof Terengganu
from 1989to 2001 (Fig.4) show a declineof overT4o/o
duringthatthat period.Accordingto Sharmaand Tisen(2000),the Setiuand PakaRivers
in Terengganu
and the LinggiRiverin Melakaeachsupportpopulations
of morethan 100
nestingfemalesper year.
turtles ,,,,trouble
6
Figure3. Numberof riverterrapineggscollected
for
incubation
in Terengganu
from 1995- 2001
(Source:Department
of Wildlifeand NationalParks,Malaysia)
ZZUU
rct
o
o 2000
-g
o
(J 1800
at,
ct)
ct 1600
o
o 1400
o
.cl
E 1200
:
z
1000
1S95
Figure4. Numberof paintedterrapinclutchesdepositedannuallyin Terengganu
from '1990-2001.
(Source:FisheriesDepaftment,
Ministryof Agriculture
Malaysia)
800
700
600
o
o
o
500
E 400
o
ci 300
z
200
100
0
19 9 0 1 9 9 1 1 9 9 2 1 9 9 3 1 9 9 4 1 9 9 5 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 1 S 9 B 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1
Year
fssr#es frse*&fe
7
Ga u se so f P o p u l ationDecline
Egg Exploitation
A longhistoryof intensiveegg exploitation
has beennamedas one of the majorcausesthat
has negativelyimpactedon marineas well as freshwaterturtlesin Malaysia.The species
includeall fourspeciesof marineturtles
that havebeendecimateddue to egg exploitation
and the riverand paintedterrapins.
In Terengganuand Sarawakwhere hatcheryprogrammesfor marineturtleshave been in
placesincethe 1950'sand 1960's,continued
egg harvestfor manydecadeshas led to the
failureto protectsufficientnumbersof eggs requiredfor turtle populationmaintenance.
of egg collection
throughissuanceof licensesand legalsale of
Governmentsanctioning
turtleeggs in the marketsof Terengganuto this day has not only continuedto jeopardize
conservationprogrammes,but has encouragedsmugglingof eggs from placeswhere its
havebeenbanned(Box2).
saleand exploitation
Box 2: Cheaper Green Turtle eggs from Sabah a much sought-after item
New StraitsTimes,7 July 2004
KUALATERENGGANU,Tues. - Most of the GreenTurtleeggs that are sold at severalwet
marketsin the town are from Sabahas they are cheaper.
"The local varietyof these turtleeggs are sellingfor about RM2.50each while those from
S a b a ha r e a r o u n dR M 1 . 4 0e a c h , "s a i dH a s m a hM a tZ a i n ,3 4 ,w h o h a s b e e ns e l l i n gt u r t l ee g g s
for the last 10 years.
The highnumberof eggsfromSabahbeingsoldin the Statehasa lotto do withthe pricefactor,
she added.She said the eggs in the marketcame from the GreenTurtleas there was no
restriction
Turtleeggswas
by the authorityon the saleof sucheggsbutthe saleof Leatherback
not allowedin the State.
"GreenTurtleeggs are much smallerin size comparedwith thoseof the Leatherbacks,"
she
added.Hasmahsaid the increasein priceof localturtleeggsoverthe pastseveralyearswas
due to a steep drop in the numberof turtlesnestingin the State.Althoughsome customers
insiston buyinglocalturtleeggs,mostsettlefor the cheaperonesfrom Sabah,she added.
T u r t l ea n d M a r i n eE c o s y s t e mC e n t r ec h i e f K a m a r u d d i nl b r a h i ms a i d w h i l e t h e r e w a s n o
restriction
on the sale of GreenTurtleeggs,the sale mustbe donewithinthe State.
"Thesale of Leatherback
Turtleeggs is totallynot allowed."On our part,we are patrollingthe
to out turtlehatcheriesand are safefrom
beacheshereto make sure all eggs are transferred
ooachers."he said.
turtlesi': t'trouble
8
Commercial Harvest and Trade
Turtleshave been traded as an internationalcommodityfor decades,resultingin widespreaddeclinesin localpopulations.
In Malaysia,
the practiceof huntingand slaughtering
of marineturtlesfor theirmeat or otherproductsdoes not existamongthe localpopulace.
However,foreign poachersencroachinto Malaysianterritorialwaters and rampantly
harvestthe turtles,especiallygreenturtles(Box 3). Additionally,
commercialharvestingof
turtlesin neighbouring
countries
can impactlocalpopulations
sincemarineturtlesare highly
migratory.Satellitetrackingstudieshavedemonstrated
thatgreenturtlesthatnestin Redang
lsland,Terengganu
and the SarawakTurtlelslandsmigrateto nearshorefeedinggrounds
occurringin the territorialwatersof countriesborderingthe SouthChinaSea as well as the
Sulu-SulawesiSea (Liew ef a/. 1995,Bali,ef al. 2002).The huntingof turtlesin these
countrieshave thereforecontributedto the declineof Malaysiannestingpopulations.
Box 3 : Trawlerwith 130 dead turtles held
The Star, 4 May 2004
by MUGUNTANVANAR
KOTAKINABALU:Morethan 130endangeredsea turtlesand 30 turtleshellswere seizedfrom
a C h i n a - r e g i s t e r et rda w l e rt h a t h a d e n c r o a c h e di n t o M a l a y s i a ' sr i c h M e n g a l u mw a t e r s ,2 0
nauticalmilesfrom here
Mostof the sea turtles,believedto be of the Hawksbilland Greenbackspecies,werefounddead
amongthe catchof the Chinesefishermenwhena marinepolicePZ patrolboatwith30 personnel
intercepted
the boataftera shortchaseat 2pm on Sunday.
KotaKinabalumarinepolicecommandingofficer
DeputySupt Paul Khiu Khon Chiangsaid the
40- year-oldskipperand 15 membersof hiscrew,
agedbetween16 and48, had beendetainedto
facilitateinvestigations
by the SabahFisheries
Department.All are reportedto be Chinese
nationals.
DeputySupt Khiu said policebelievedforeign
fishingboatshad beenslippingintoMengalum
waterson severaloccasionsto catchsea turtles
andthisseizurewas the largestinvolvingthese
turtlesin Sabah.
DSPKhiu(middle)
Confiscated:
andhisofficers
inspecting
thedeadtuftles
in KotaKinabalu
"We believethat the fishermenhad been in our
watersfor abouttwo days and were targeting
the sea turtlesfound in abundancein the Mengalumarea,"he said, addingthat the crew left
H a i n a nC
, h i n a ,t w o w e e k sa g o .
A totalof 130deadturtlesand threeliveonesas well as 30 turtleshellswere recoveredfromthe
trawler. lt was learntthat the turtlescouldbe preservedby stuffingor taxidermyand sold in the
open marketfor a high price.
State FisheriesDepartmentenforcementand preventivechief Sapli Muloksaid investigations
werecentredon the Fisheries
Act. The skipperof any foreignvesselencroaching
intoMalaysian
waters,he said,faceda maximumfineof RMl milwhileeachcrewmemberfaced
oneof RM100,000
in defaultof a jail term underSection15 of the Act.
Saplisaidthe departmentwouldalso look intothe Act for actionto be takenfor offencesrelated
to the catchingof endangeredspecies,addingthat suchoffenceswouldalso be discussedwith
the stateWildlifeDepartment.
The skipperand the crew would be broughtto courttomorrowfor a remandorderto facilitate
furtherinvestioations
intotheiractivities.
turtle'':;trouble
9
Malaysiais activelyinvolvedin the international
trade of freshwaterturtlesand tortoises
wherethey are exportedfor meat,traditionalmedicine,as petsand curiosand for religious
release(Compton,2000).The volumetradedis alarming(Tables2 and 3) and has caused
the widespreadcollapseof local populationsin non-protected
areas.The non-native
speciespurportedlyexportedfrom Malaysiais an indicationof the role of Malaysiaas a
transitcenterin wildlifetrade that is both legaland illegal.Chiew (2003)highlightsthe
Malaysiaas a regionalwildlifetransitcenter.
emergenceof Peninsular
Fisherieslmpacts
Incidentalcapturesin fishing nets has been cited as the major threat to the survivalof
marineturtlesworldwide.ln the southAtlanticand Gulf of Mexico.shrimotrawlscatch
(National
47,000marineturtlesannuallywith 11,000of themresulting
in mortality
Research
C o u n c i l1, 9 9 0 ) .
ln Malaysiathe fishing industryis well establishedin coastalareas where marineturtle
nestingoccurs.Fishinggearsuchas trawlnets,driftnets,fishtraps,longlines,purseseines,
ray nets(pukatpari),liftnet,and evenbeachseineshavebeenidentified
to impacton sea
turtles(Chanand Liew,2002).Rate of capturein Terengganuwas high in the past where
over 700 turtleswere estimatedto drown in trawl nets each year (Chan ef a/., 1988),
comparedto morerecentestimatesof 50 turtlesdrowningper year (Chanand Liew,2002).
Fishingmortalityis corroboratedby strandingsof turtleswhere a total of 188 carcasses
attributedto incidentalcapturesin fishinggear have been recoveredfrom the beachesof
Terengganubetween1990-95(Ramliand Hiew,1999).Fishingmortalityoccursboth in
inshoreterritorialwaters,and on the high seas which are traversedby the turtlesduring
migrations
theirlong-distance
betweenfeedingand nestinggrounds.
Fishingactivitiesin riverswhere freshwaterturtlesreside are known to be detrimental.
withlocalfishermen
Althoughno datais available
to quantifythe threat,interviews
indicate
gear.Poisonfishing
that the terrapinsare caughtin hook and linesand othertraditional
althoughout-lawed,is stillcarriedout and is certainto impacton turtlesand many other
non-targetedspecies.
Habitat Destruction
The habitatsaffectedincludenestingandfeedinggrounds.Lossof nestinghabitatfor marine
turtles is expectedin Malaysiawhere prime beachesare being developedfor tourism.
(e.9.Sabahand Sarawak
Exceptin placeswhereturtlesanctuaries
havebeenestablished
Turtlelslands;RantauAbang and Ma'Daerahin Terengganu),
beachfrontdevelopment
threatenotherexistingnestingbeaches.In Perhentian
lsland,Terengganu,
beachchalets
were underconstruction
on a majornestingbeachwhenvisitedby the authoras recentlyas
nestingsitefor theonlyremaining
hawksbill
June2003.PulauUpehin Melaka,an important
population
Malaysiahas also been recentlysold to a private
of importancein Peninsular
(Hiewand Sharma,pers.comm.).Besidesdevelopment,
for development
conglomerate
construction
of seawallsand jettiesoftenalternesting
activitiessuch as beachrestoration,
beachesand renderthem unsuitable
for nestinq.
Feedinggroundsof marineturtlesincludeseagrassbeds (for greenturtles)and coralreefs
wherehawksbillturtlesfeedonspongesgrowingamongthecoral.
Lossofsuchhabitatsthrough
sedimentation,
nutrientrun-off,coralmining,climatechange,destructive
fishingmethods,boat
directlyreducefoodsourcesavailable
to the turtles.
anchoringand tourismactivities
turtles
trouble
10
Table2. Exportof freshwaterturtlesfrom PeninsularMalaysiafrom
Januaryto October1999(Source:Department
of Wildlifeand
NationalParks,Malaysia,
and extracted
from Sharmaand Tisen,2000)
Species
Source
Quantity
Amyda caftilaginea
Pelochelys cantorii
8,773
4,300
456,541
135,121
325,325
21,972
12,300
,253,712
251,460
Cuoro amboinensis
SiebenrockieIIa c rassicolIis
Heosemys grandis
Orlitia borneoensls
Notochelysplatynota
Pelodiscus slnensis
Trachemysscriptaelegans
witd
witd
witd
witd
witd
witd
witd
Captivebred
Captivebred
Table3. CITEStradedata on turtlesexportedfrom Malaysiafrom
(courtesy
1998-2002
of HelenCorrigan,Citestradedataprogramme
officerof the UNEP-WorldConservationMonitoringCentrein Cambridge)
ReportedQuantity(No.of lifeanimals)by
Exporter(Malaysia)
Species
2002
FreshwaterTurtles
Callagurborneoensis
2001
428
2000
6 7RO
1999
1998
274
47
Tortoises
Cuora amboinensis
38,746 3 5 , 0 3 6
Geochelone carbonaria*
Geochelone denticulate*
Geochelonegigantea*
Geochelonepardalis*
Geochelonesulcata*
Kinixys belliana*
Kinixyshomeana*
lndotestudoelongata
Manouria emys
Manouria impressa
27,7190
z
1
Z
15
I
4
4
1
'10
2
700
164
4
550
'188
*non-native
species,probablyon transitin Malaysia
turtles, ,;'trouhle
11
48
941
219
2
7q
olo
,lAn
Nestinghabitatsfor riverterrapinsare destroyedby sand-mining
and construction
of dams.
Directevidenceexistsfor the BesutRiverin Terengganuwhere localegg collectorsreport
that the terrapinsaborttheirnestingactivitieswhen the egg chambersexcavatedreachthe
water table due to loss of sand. When water is releasedfrom dams, nestinghabitats
becomeinundated,
oftensubmerging
anddestroying
nestsundergoing
incubation.
lmpacts
from dam construction
occurin the Terenqqanu.
Perakand MudaRivers.
Pollution
Pollutioncan degradefeedinggroundsand impacton marineturtles.There is ample
evidenceof pollution
and persistent
debrisin the SouthChinaSea (Lawand Rahimi,1986;
Chanef a/.,1996;Chanand Liew,2003),althoughno studieshavebeenconductedlocally
to determinethe interactions.
Organochlorine
compounds,heavymetals,hydrocarbons
and radionuclideshave beenfoundin the eggsand tissuesof severalspecresof marine
turtlesin the US,Ascensionlslandand France,buttheirphysiological
effectsare not known
(NationalResearchCouncil,1990).
1
The increasing
incidenceof fibropapillomatosis
in somemarineturtlepopulations
is attributed
to marinepollutionthatweakensthe immunesystemand contrrbutes
to the onsetof disease
(George,1997).The diseaseis manifestedas tumoursthat occur in the conjunctiva,
chin,
neck,flippers,baseof tail,as wellas in the lungs,liver,digestivetract,and kidneys.ltaffects
mostlygreenturtlesand has beenreportedin over90%of the individuals
in somepopulations.
As of now,noneof the turtlescomingashoreto neston Malaysianbeacheshavebeenfound
to sufferfrom fibropapillomatosis.
Persistent
marinedebrisis of seriousconcernas numerouscasesof accidental
ingestion
of
plasticbagsand entanglement
in monofilament
fishinglineand discarded
fishingnetshave
been documented(NationalResearchCouncil,1990).ln Redanglsland,the authorhas
r e c e i v e dn u m e r o u sr e p o r t so f j u v e n i l eg r e e n a n d h a w k s b i ltl u r t l e sf o u n d d e a d a n d
entangledin netsleftdiscardedin the sea.
River pollutionresultingfrom agriculturalrun-offand factoryeffluentscan cause direct
massivekillsof terrapins,
as reportedin the SetiuRiverseveralyearsago (Sharma,pers.
comm.).Suchpollution
alsoimpactson foodsourcesthatarevitalforthesustenance
of the
terraoins.
Negative lmpacts of Tourism
Marineturtlescan be usedto promotetourismin a non-consumptive
way. However,negative
impactsbecomeevidentwhen guidelinesfor turtlewatchingand conservation
are not
adequatelylaiddownor mandated.Over-development
of fragileislandsthat providenesting
sites for marineturtlescan quicklylead to the destructionof nestingas well as feeding
habitats.Increasedspeedboattrafficis oftenassociated
with increasedmortalities
of turtles
causedby propellerhits. Activities
suchas snorkeling
and SCUBAdivingcan be incompatible
with turtleswhen touristsare ill informedand negativelyimpacton turtlesin the water by
grabbing,
handling,
or ridingthem.
Currently,there is no existingtourismactivityassociatedwith riverterrapinsand their
habitats.Any plansto introducesuchprogrammes
haveto considerall potentialnegative
impactsand providemeasuresto mitigatethem.
turtles, ::trouhle
12
I
I
InadequateLegislation
Legislation
on marineturtles(includingthe paintedterrapin)in Malaysiais providedfor
underthe FisheriesAct '1985.However,provisionsof this FederalAct relatingto turtlesand
riverinefisheriesis underthe purviewof the differentstatesof the country,and do not come
into operationunlessthey have been adoptedand providedfor by the legislatureof the
States.
Currently,
exceptfor Sarawakwhichhas updatedconservation
measuresunderthe Wildlife
Protection
Ordinance1998(Tisenand Bali,2000),and Sabahwhichprohibitscommercial
exploitation
of marineturtlesand theireggs,legislation
in the otherstatesis inadequate.
Thereis no uniformity
and in Peninsular
Malaysia,
all turtleeggs(exceptleatherback
eggs
in Terengganu
and Pahang)are freelyand legallytradedin the localmarkets.
primarily
Onefisherieslaw introduced
fortheprotection
of marineturtlesis applicable
throughout Peninsular
Malaysia.
The Fisheries
Regulations
(Prohibition
of FishingMethods)1985,
Amendment1989bansthe use of largemesh(exceeding
24.5 cm)sunkengillnetsfor the
captureof rays.The ineffectiveness
of this law becamequiteclearwhen fishermenstarted
to reducethe mesh size of their nets and continuedto drownturtles.One solutionto this
problemwouldbe to ban the use of any sunkengill net in offshoreareasadjacentto nesting
groundsduringthe nestingseason.The internestingrange of the turtleshave to be
determinedto ensureadequatecoverageof the offshorearea that is to be protected.
The WildlifeAct1972whichappliesonlyto PeninsularMalaysiaprovidesprotectionto nonmarinewild animalscoveringmammals,birds,reptilesand insectsthat have been listed
underseveralcategoriesof protection.
Strangely,
all speciesof turtleshave been excluded
and this has leftthem extremelyvulnerableto exploitation
(Sharmaand Tisen,2000). The
urgentneedto includeall speciesof tortoisesandfreshwater
turtlesin the listsprovidedunder
the WildlifeAct 1972 has to be addressedby DWNP,the agencyresponsiblefor the
implementation
and enforcement
of theAct.
It is apparentthat legislationin Malaysiathat accordsprotectionto marineand freshwater
turtlesand tortoisesis inadequateand variesfrom Stateto State.There is thus a need at
the federallevelto reviewand harmonizeall existingstatelegislature
into a uniformand
effectivelegislationfor adoptionby all states.
Lack of Research
Whilenestingpopulations
of marineturtlesare beingmonitored
at majornestinggroundsin
Malaysiato provideinformationon trends and populationsize, basic studieson the
distributionand populationstatusof freshwaterturtlesand tortoisesare severelylacking.
The effectiveness
of restockingprogrammesfor the riverterrapinsin the Muda,Perak,and
TerengganuRiverscarriedout by DWNP have not been scientifically
evaluated.Although
theseprogrammeshavebeenin placefor morethan20 years,the riverterrapinpopulations
in the three river systemshave continuedto decline.There is a need not just to assess
theseprogrammes,
but to identifythreatswhichimpacton the wild populations
in orderto
introducemeasuresto mitigatethem.
Althoughmarineturtlenestingpopulations
gaps stillexist in many
are beingmonitored,
researchareascriticalto the conservation
needsof the turtles.Thereis littledataavailable
on the fishingmortalityof the majorturtlepopulations
and virtuallynothingis knownof in-
turtlest, ,trouble
13
water distributionand habitatrequirementsof marineturtles. Researchgaps have to be
identified
in orderto mobilizethe necessary
studiesand to sourcefundingsupport.
Lack of Corordinationand a NationalPolicy on Turtles
Lack of coordinatedefforts between the various agencies which undertaketurtle
programmes,and the lack of a nationalpolicyor strategicplan on turtle
conservation
conservationcan hamperthe recoveryof turtle populationsand cause them to continue
declining.In Malaysia,the lack of uniformmeasuresto secureand protectimportant
nesting habitatshas resultedin the loss and degradationof some importantsites.
Likewise,the lackof a comprehensive
recoveryplanto revitalizedecliningpopulationshas
contributedto theircontinuinqdecline.
Gonservationand ManagementMeasuresUndertakenin Malaysia
Legislation
Federallegislationapplicableto marineand freshwaterturtlesand tortoises(the Fisheries
Act 1985and the WildlifeAct 1972)and theireffectiveness
has beendiscussedearlier.
Two federal fisherieslaws providedunder the FisheriesAct 1985 are rn effect for the
offshoreprotectionof marineturtlesand they are the FisheriesRegulations(Prohibition
of
FishingMethods)1985,Amendment1989(coveredearlier)and the Fisheries(Prohibited
Areas)(RantauAbang)Regulations
1991. The lattercreatedan offshoresanctuaryin Rantau
Abangwherefishingactivitiesare regulatedduringthe nestingseasonto accordprotection
to leatherbackturtles. Enforcementis importantif the requlationis to be effective.
Currently,only six statesin PeninsularMalaysia(K"d;, Kelantan,TerengganuJohor,
Melaka,and NegeriSembilan)havelegislation
relatedto the exploitation,
licensing
for egg
collectionand possessionor killingof marineturtles.None of the freshwaterturtlesand
tortoisesare covered(Gregoryand Sharma,1997).Perak'sRiverRightsEnactment
1915,
stillin effecttoday,prohibitsthe trappingof turtlesduringfive monthsof the year and killing
of turtles (belongingto the genera Orlitia,Callagur and Batagur)at any time without
permission.lt alsograntsexclusiverightsto the Rulerof the Stateto taketurtleeggsalong
specifiedareasof the PerakRiver. lt is understoodthat Perakis in the processof preparing
new and more effectivelegislationto protectthe turtles(Sharmaand Tisen,2000).
Legislationin the statesof Sarawakand Sabahin East Malaysiaaccordsbetterprotection
to turtles.In Sarawak,the Wild LifeProtection
Ordinance1998listsall marineturtlesand
the freshwaterturtles, Orlitia borneoensisand Callagurborneoensisas "TotallyProtected
Species"while other freshwaterturtlesand tortoisesare listed as "ProtectedSpecies."
prohibitions
Underthis ordtnance,
on tradeand exportof turtlesincludingtheireggs,any
derivativesor their parts,provideadequatelegalprotectionto the turtles.
In Sabah,all speciesof animalsfoundwithinthe boundaries
of Sabah'sStateParksare
protectedunderthe ParksEnactment1984.All marineturtlesnestingin theworld-renowned
SabahTurtlelslandsParkare thereforefullyprotected.In non-protected
areas,the Wildlife
Enactment1997has a listof "Protected
Species"thatneedto be updatedas notall species
of freshwaterturtlesand tortoiseshave been included.
turtles
trouhle
14
Egg Protection
Malaysiahas a long historyof turtleegg protectionprogrammes,comparedto otherSoutheast Asiancountries.lncubationof marineturtleeggs in hatcheries
was initiatedin the
early1950'sin Sarawakand 1960'sin Terengganu
and Sabah,1971inPahangand early
1990'sin Melakaand Perak.Exceptfor the Sabahpopulations,
most of theseeffortshave
not been manifestedin populationrecoverybecauseof inadequatenumbersof eggs
orotected.
Sabahstartedprotectingcloseto 100% of the turtleeggs depositedin the Sabah Turtle
lslandsin the early1970'sfollowedby Sarawakin 1999.The currentlevelof egg protection
i n T e r e n g g a n ui s e s t i m a t e da t o n l y 5 0 % . I n a d d i t i o nt o t h e e f f o r t so f t h e F i s h e r i e s
Department,Ministryof AgricultureMalaysia,concernedturtle scientistsof KUSTEM
have raisedthe level of egg protectionby securingeggs from a major nestingbeach in
Redanglsland,Terengganufor incubationsince 1993 (Chan and Liew, 1999).Turtle
conservationists
advocatethat in healthypopulations,
at least70o/o
of the eggs deposited
populations,
must be incubatedto ensurepopulation
In impoverished
sustainability.
it is
imperativethat 100%of the eggs be protectedto providehope for populationrecovery.
DWNPhas beensecuringriverterrapineggsfrom sand banksgazettedas protectedareas
alongthe Perak,Muda (in Kedah),Terengganu
and Dungun(in Terengganu)
Riversfor
incubation
and subsequentheadstarting
sincethe 1970's. None of these riversystems
have shown any populationrecoveryand as discussedearlier,studiesare neededto
assessthe efficacyof these programmesand to identifyfactorsthat continueto threaten
the fragilepopulations
in theseareas.
Paintedterrapins,by reasonof the fact that they migrateto coastalwatersand nest along
b e a c h e s ,c o m e u n d e r t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n
o f t h e F i s h e r i e sD e p a r t m e n tT. h e d e p a r t m e n t
purchases
the eggsfromlicensedegg collectors
for incubation
hatcheries
in government
in
Terengganu
As
and Melaka.
in riverterrapins,
therehas been no evidenceof population
recoveryin thesetwo states.
Establishmentof Sanctuaries/ ProtectedAreas
Turtlesanctuaries
havebeenestablished
at somekey nestinglocationsshownin Table4. In
orderto secureall nestingsitesof significance
and to preventthemfromfurtherdegradation,
more sanctuaries
be
the
locationsshown in Table5. As long as
should established
at
importantnestingsitesare not accordedsanctuarystatus,development
will take placeand
alongrivers,sandbanks
willbe mined,rendering
themunsuitable
turtle
nesting.
for
Reductionof Fishing Mortality
Twofisherieslaws primarilyfor the protectionof marineturtlesare in effect(seesectionon
providedfor under
Legislation)
in Malaysia.Otherregulations
such as zoningregulations
the FisheriesAct '1985prohibitany form of trawlingwithin five nauticalmiles of the
shoreline.This can adequatelyprotectmarineturtlesfrom trawlersduringthe nesting
season.In MarineParkswherenestingsitesof greenand hawksbill
turtlescan be found,
prohibitfishingwithina radiusof two nauticalmilessurrounding
Parkregulations
the island
or islandgroups.Thesemeasuresareeffectivein protecting
theturtlesduringthe internesting
periodsas they havebeenfoundto remainwithinone nauticalmileof the shoreline(Liew
a n d C h a n .1 9 9 3 ) .
turtles
tr*ub8*
15
Malaysiais implementing
the Codeof Conductfor Responsible
Fisheries
and by doingso
contributesto the reductionof bv-catchthat includemarineturtles.
Table4. Turtlesanctuaries
that havebeenestablished
in Malavsia.
YEAR
ESTABLISHED
STATE
NAMEOF SANCTUARY
Terengganu
RantauAbangTudle Sanctuary
Ma' DaerahTurtleSanctuary
PasirTemir,HuluTerengganu
PasirLubokKawah,HuluTerengganu
P a s i rK u m p a lD
, ungun
Perak
PantaiJabatan.PerakRiver
Sabah
TurtlelslandsPark
'1984
Sarawak
Talang-Satang
NationalPark
1999
1988
2003
1977
I 978
19 9 1
1975(?\
Table5. Turtlenestingsitesthat shouldbe declaredturtlesanctuaries
(afterSharmaand Hiew,2003)
STATE
LOCATIONOF NESTINGSITES
Terengganu
Nestingbeacheson Redanglsland
Nestingbeacheson Perhentian
lsland
SetiuRiverlagoonand rivermouth
Pahang
Beachat Cherating
Perak
SegariBeach
Melaka
P u l a uU p e h
TanjongTuan
Beachat Pengkalan
Balak
turtles,;,,trouble
16
Public Education
Publiceducationand awarenessis oftencitedas an importantissuein the conservation
of
endangered
species.The Malaysianpublicis quitewell-informed
of the statusof marine
turtlesin the countryas the localmediahas providedamplecoverage.Otheractivitiessuch
as long-termturtlevolunteerprogrammes,turtlecampsand otherawarenessprogrammes
conductedby the FisheriesDepartment,
WorldWideFundMalaysiaand SEATRU,KUSTEM
havehelpedincreasepublicawarenesson marineturtles.However,awarenessof the plight
of tortoisesand freshwaterturtlesis almostnon-existent.
Someof thesesoecieshavebeen
traditionally
servedin Chineserestaurantsas exoticsoups. In order to halt the trade,
education
as well as appropriate
legislation
is necessary.
Regionaland InternationalConventionsand Agreements
A t t h e r e g i o n a l e v e l ,s o m e i n i t i a t i v e sh a v e b e e n m a d e t o d e v e l o pr e g i o n a lm a r i n e
c o n s e r v a t i o np r o g r a m m e sT. h e T u r t l e l s l a n d sH e r i t a g eP r o t e c t e dA r e a ( T I H P A ) ,a
protectedarea in the SuluSeawas establishedin 1996betweenSabahand
transboundary
the Philippines
to managejointlythe largemarineturtlepopulations
occurringthere.The
MoUon ASEANSea TurtleConservation
and Protectionwas signedin 1997whilethe MoU
on the Conservation
and Management
of MarineTurtlesand their Habitatsof the lndian
Oceanand SoutheastAsia was concludedin 200'1.Malaysiahas yet to ratifythe latter.
At the globallevel,the Conventionon lnternational
Tradein EndangeredSpeciesof Wild
Faunaand Flora(CITES),to which Malaysiais party,servesto curb international
trade of
marineturtlesand theirparts.Otherconventionslikethe Conventionon BiologicalDiversity
and Conventionon Wetlandsof International
lmportanceEspeciallyas WaterfowlHabitat,
that have been ratifiedby Malaysia,promoteconservation
of wild animalsand plantsthat
includesturtles.
Gontributionsof KUSTEMin Turtle Researchand Conservation
The involvement
of KUSTEMin turtleresearchand conservation
datesbackto the mid 1980's
whenitwasthenstillpartof Universiti
PutraMalaysia.
Thescientists
formeda unitknownas the
SeaTurtleResearchUnit(SEATRU)with
researchinitially
focusedon the leatherback
butwas
expandedlaterto includethe otherspeciesof marineturtles.Realisingthe sururvalcrisisfacing
the country'sfreshwaterturtlesand tortoises,a riverterrapinresearchand conservation
programme
for Terengganu
was launchedin 2003.Plansareundenruay
to conductfieldstudies
on otheraquaticand semi-aquatic
speciesas well the tortoisesbecauseinformation
on the
distribution
and statusof wildpopulations
is severelylacking,
With the inclusionof studieson freshwaterturtlesand tortoises,the name of SEATRUis
being changed to the Centre for Turtle Researchand Conservation(CTReC).The
formationof CTReChas beenapprovedby KUSTEM'sBoardof Directorsand a proposalis
b e i n g s u b m i t t e d f o r f u n d i n g u n d e r t h e 9 t h M a l a y s iW
a Pi tlhatnh.e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f C T R e C ,
the name of KUSTEM will be reinforcedas the center of excellencefor the studv and
conservation
of all soeciesof turtlesin Malavsia.
On-goingand completedresearchactivitiescarriedout by KUSTEMscientistson turtles
nf o v e r 1 3 0a r t i c l e s
a r e s h o w ni n B o x 4 . T h i s r e s e a r c hh a s r e s u l t e di n t h e p u b l i c a t i o o
,tfOUble
tUrtleS;,,,.
17
journals,conferenceproceedings,workshop
coveringscientificpapers in peer-reviewed
reports,unpublishedreportsand educationalmaterials(see Box 5 for a selectionof these
works).The vital informationresultingfrom completedresearchhas formedthe basisfor
made by KUSTEMto relevantgovernmental
agenciesfor the
importantrecommendations
conservationof marineturtlesin Malavsia(seeTable6 for some examples).
Box 4: On-goingand completedturtle researchcarriedout in KUSTEM
1.
programein Terengganu.
Riverterrapinresearchand conservation
Seedmoneyhas beenawardedby
from IRPA(grantsawarded
in USA. Fundingapplication
theTurtleConservationFund(TCF)administered
and the
for the Intensification
of Researchin PriorityAreas by the Ministryof Science,Technology
Environment
Malaysia)is in process.
2.
turtlesfromChagarHutangBeach,Redanglsland,a jointresearchproject
Satellite
trackingof hawksbill
of NOAA,
NationalMarineFisheries
withthe SouthwestFisheries
ScienceCenterHonoluluLaboratory,
andArgosservicewas fullysponsoredby NOAA.
USA.The satellitetransmitter
3.
jointlywith Prof.WataruSakamotofrom
projecton Malaysiansea turtles,conducted
Satellite{racking
Kyoto University,
Japan.The satellitetransmitterand Argos seryicewas fully sponsoredby Kyoto
University.
4.
Taggingand nestingresearchon the sea turtlesof PulauRedang.This projectwas initiatedin 1993in
on-goingproject.lt was supportedby lRPAfunding
PulauRedangand is now continuedas a long-term
underthe 6thMalaysiaPlanand is now supportedby fundsgeneratedfrom donationsmadeby private
corporations,
international
schoolsand the public.
5.
/n-sltuincubation
of greenturtleeggsin Redanglsland.Thison-goingprojectis alsosupportedby funds
generatedfrom donationsmadeby privatecorporations,
international
schoolsand the public.
6.
Radio,ultrasonicand satellitetrackingof sea turtlesfrom the SarawakTurtlelslands,a completed
projectconductedjointlywiththe SarawakForestryCorporationand fullyfundedby IRPAgrantsawarded
to SarawakForestry.
7.
Sex ratiostudieson the greenturtlesof the SarawakTurtlelslands.Fundedas in above.
8.
Taggingand nestingresearchon the sea turtlesof Sabahand SarawakTurtlelslands.Carriedout as
finalyear researchprojectsof undergraduates.
9.
Fundedby an IRPAgrantto
Radio,ultrasonic
and satellitetelemetryof the greenturtlesof Terengganu.
KUSTEMscientists.
with
the internestingmovementsof leatherbackturtles.Carriedout in collaboration
10. Radio-tracking
State
Drs. Scott and Karen Eckertof USA and fundedjointlyby an IRPAgrantand the Terengganu
Government.
turtles.Carriedout and fundedas above.
11. Divingbehaviourof leatherback
12. Geneticstudieson Malaysiansea turtles.Fundedby an IRPAgrantto KUSTEMscientists.
1 3 . U l t r a s t r u c t u roef s e a t u r t l ee g g s h e l l sC
. a r r i e do u t i n c o l l a b o r a t i ownr t h D r . S a l l y S o l o m o no f t h e
leave.
University
of Glasgowduringthe author'ssabbatical
StateGovernment.
14. Factorseffectinghatchingsuccessof sea turtleeggs.Fundedby the Terengganu
Malaysia
15. Sex-ratiostudieson Malaysiansea turtles.Fundedby grantsfrom lRPAandEssoProduction
S d n .B h d .
'16. Effectsof fishinggear on sea turtles.Fundedby a grantfrom EssoProduction
MalaysiaSdn.Bhd.
with Esso Production
17. Associationof sea turtleswith offshoreplatforms.Carriedout collaboratively
Malaysia
S d n .B h d .
18. Effectsof oil pollutionon sea turtles.Carriedout as a reviewof publishedliterature.
fus€fes frcss&fe
18
Box 5: A selectionof publishedwork by KUSTEMscientists.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1 1.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Chan,E.H.in press.Marineturtlesin Malaysia:On the vergeof extinction?
In:AquaticEcosystems
of
Malaysia:Health,Sustainability
and Management.
EcovisionWorldMonographSeries.
Chan,E.H.& Shephard,C.R.2002,MarineTurtles:The scenarioin SoutheastAsia.
TropicalCoasts,
Vol.9(2) : 38-43
ChanE.H.& Liew,H.C.2002.Savingthe turtlessavesourselves.
UN Chronicle,
Vol.XXXIX(1) : 38-39
Chan E.H. & Liew, H.C. 2002. Raisingfunds and publicawarenessin sea turtleconservationin
Malaysia.Pp.25-26 in: Mosier,A, A. Foleyand B. Brost(compilers).
Proceedings
of the 20thAnnual
Symposiumon Sea TurtleBiologyand Conservation.
NOAATech.Memo.NMFS-SEFSC-477.
Bali,J., Liew,H.C.,Chan,E.H, & Tisen,O.8.2002.Longdistancemigrationof greenturtlesfrom the
SarawakTurtlelslands,Malaysia.Pp 32-33in: Mosier,A, A. Foleyand B. Brost(compilers).Proceedingsof the 20thAnnual
Symposiumon SeaTurtleBrologyand Conservation.
NOAATech.MemoNMFSSEFSC.477.
Liew,H.C. & E.H. Chan.2002.An Analysisof TaggingData on the GreenTurtlesof Redanglsland,
Malaysia.Pp. 135-136in: Mosier,A, A. Foleyand B. Brost(compilers).
Proceedings
of the 20rhAnnual
Symposiumon Sea TurtleBiologyand Conservation.
NOAATech.MemoNMFS-SEFSC-477.
C h a n ,E . H . a n d H . C .1 i e w . 2 0 0 1 .S e a T u r t l e sP. p . 7 4 - 7 5i n : O n g ,J . E .a n d W . K .G o n g( e d s . ) .T h e
Encyclopaedia
of Malaysia,
V. 6: The Seas. EditionsDidierMillet,KualaLumpur.
Chan,E.H.2000.And the giantsascendedno more.Millenium
MarkerStory.10 January2000,Section
2. The Star.Po. B & 10.
Chan,E.H.and H.C.Liew.1999.Hawksbillturtles,Erefmochelys
imbricatanestingon Redanglsland,
Terengganu,
Malaysiafrom'1993
to 1997.ChelonianConservation
and Biology.3(2)
:326-329
Chan,E.H.,J.Josephand H.C.Liew.'1999.
Astudyon the hawksbill
turtles(Eretmochelys
imbricata)
of
Gulisaan,SabahTurtlelslands,Malaysia.SabahParksJournal.2:11-23
C h a n , E . H . a n d H . C . L i el 9w9.6 . D e c l i n e o f t h e l e a t h e r b a c k p o p u l a t i o n i n T e r e n g g a n u1 ,9M5 a6 l-a y s i a ,
1995.ChelonianConservation
and Biology.2(2):196-203.
Chan,E.H.andH.C.Lie
l 9w9.6 . A M a n a g e m e n t P l a n f o r t h e G r e e n a n d H aTwukr st lbei P
l lo p u l a t i o n s o f
t h e S a b a h T u r t l el s l a n d s A
. R e p o r tt o S a b a h P a r k s .S E A T R U ,F a c u l t yo f A p p l i e dS c i e n c ea n d
Technology,
Universiti
PertanianMalaysiaTerengganu.
102 pp.
Chan,E.H.and H.C.Liew.1996.lncubation
temperatures
and sex-rations
in the Malaysian
leatherback
turlle,Dermochelyscoriacea.Biol.Conserv.2(2): 196-203
Chan, E.H. and H.C. Liew.1995.In-situincubationof greenturtleeggs in PulauRedang,Malaysia:
Hope after decadesof egg exploitation.
Proc. International
Congressof ChelonianConservation,
6 - 1 0J u l y1 9 9 5 ,G o n f a r o nF, r a n c eP
, p.68-72.
L i e w ,H . C . a n d E . H . C h a n . 1 9 9 5 .L o n g d i s t a n c em i g r a t i o no f g r e e nt u r t l e sf r o m R e d a n gl s l a n d ,
Malaysia:
The needfor regionalcooperation
in sea turtleconservation.
Proc.International
Congressof
ChelonianConservation,
6-10 Julv'1995, Gonfaron,France.Pp. 73-75.
C h a n ,E . H .1 9 9 3 .I n t e r a c t i o nbse t w e e nf i s h e r i easn d s e a t u r t l e sF. i s h m a i l , 5 ( 3p) p, . 1 2 - 1 5 .
Chan,E.H. 1993,The conservation-related
biologyand ecologyof the leatherback
turtle,Dermochelys
coriacea,
in RantauAbang,Terengganu,
Malaysia.
Ph.D. dissertation,
Kagoshima
University,
Kagoshima,
Jaoan.
Liew,H.C. and E.H. Chan. 1993.Biotelemetry
of greenturtles(Cheloniamydas)in Pulau Redang,
period.Pp. 157-163in : P.Mancini,S. Fioretti,
Malaysiaduringthe internesting
C. Cristalli
and R. Bedini
(eds.).Proceedings
of the TwlefthInternational
Symposiumon Biotelemetry,
31 Aug. - 5 Sept. 1992,
Ancona,ltaly.
Chan,E.H.,S.A.Eckert,H.C.LiewandK.L.Eckert.1991, Locating
theinternesting
habrtats
of leatherback
turtles(Dermochelys
coriacea)in Malaysian
watersusingradiotelemetry.
Pp. 133-138 in : A. Uchiyama
and C.J.Amlaner,Jr.(eds.),Biotelemetry
Xl: Proc.EleventhInternational
Symposiumon Biotelemetry.,
29 Aug. - 4 Sept.1990,Yokohama,Japan.WasedaUniversity
Press,Tokyo,Japan.
Chan,E.H.and H.C.Liew.1990.The offshoreprotection
of Malaysianleatherback
turtles.Pp. 213-218
in : S.M.Phang,A. Sasekumarand S. Vickineswary
(eds.).ResearchPriorities
for MarineB Nov.1989.
Universiti
Malaya,KualaLumpur.
Chan, E.H. 1990.Educational
materialson sea turtles- producedby the Sea TurtleResearchand
Conservation
Project,Universiti
PertanianMalaysia.Pp. 289-290in : S.M. Phang,S. Sasekumarand
(eds.).ResearchPriorities
S. Vickinneswary
for MarineSciences,
Proc.12thAnnualSeminar,Malaysian
Societyof MarineSciences,1B Nov.'1989.Universiti
Malaya,KualaLumpur.
Chan,E.H.and H.C. Liew.1989.Chartingthe movementsof a sea giant.ResearchNews,Universiti
P e r t a n i aM
n a l a y s i a3,( 4 ) ,p p 1 , 7& 8 .
C h a n , E . H . a n d H . C . L i e w . 1 9 8 9 .T h e l e a t h e r b a ctku r t l e :A M a l a y s i a nH e r i t a g eT. r o p i c a P
l ress,
Malaysia.49 pp.
'1989.
Chan, E.H. and S.E. Solomon.
The structureand functionof the eggshellof the leatherback
turtle,(Dermochelyscoriacea)from Malaysia,with noteson infectivefungalforms.AnimalTechnology,
40 (2),pp. 91-102
turtles
trauble
19
Box 5: A selectionof publishedwork by KUSTEMscientists.(cont'd)
25. Chan, E.H. 1989.White spot development,incubationand hatchingsuccessof leatherbackturtle
(Dermochelys
coriacea)eggsfrom RantauAbang,Malaysia.Copeia,1989(1),pp.42-47.
(Dermochelys
26. Chan, E.H. 1988.A note on the feedingof leatherback
coriacea)hatclings.Pertanika,
1 1 ( 1 )p, p . 1 4 7 - 1 4 9 .
27. Chan,E.H.,H.C. Liewand A.G. Mazlan.'1988.The incidental
captureof sea turtlesin fishinggear in
Terengganu,
Malaysia.Biol.Conserv.,
43(1),pp. 1-7.
2 8 . C h a n , E . Hl.9 S S . A n u p d a t e o n t h e l e a t h e r b a c k t u r t l e s o f R a n t a u A b a n g , T e r e n g g a n u , M a l a y s i a . M a r i n e
TurtleNewsletter.42.
o. 4.
29. Chan,E.H.and H.C.Liew.1988.A reviewon the effectsof oil-basedactivities
and oil pollutionon sea
turtles.Pp. 159-167in :A. Sasekumar,
R. D'Cruzand S.L.H.Lim (eds.).ThirtyYearsof MarineScience
Proc. EleventhAnnualSeminar.26 March 1988.MalaysianSocietyof
Researchand Development.
MarineSciences,KualaLumpur,Malaysia.
3 0 . C h a n , E . Hl.9 S S . T h e s e a t u r t l e s o f M a l a y s i a : A c o l o u r i n g b o o k w i t h a b itlei nx g
t iunaBla h a s a M a l a y s i a
and English.UniversitiPertanianMalaysia.1B pp.
9B
3 1 . C h a n , E . H . a n d H . C . L i elw
. E . S e a t u r t l e s t r a n d i n g s i n T e r e n g g a ln6u9. -P' 1p 7. 0 i n A . S a s e k u m a r ,
R. D'Cruzand S.L.H.Lim (eds.).ThirtyYearsof MarineScienceResearchand Development.
Proc.
EleventhAnnual Seminar.26 March 1988. MalaysianSocietyof MarineSciences,Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
12 (1), pp. a-9.
32. Chan,E.H. 1987.The sea turtlesof Malaysia.NatureMalaysiana,
33. Brahim,S., E.H.ChanandA.K. Rahman.1987.An updateon the population
statusand conservation
of
the leatherback
Pp.69-77in :A. Sasekumar,
turtlesof Terengganu.
S.M.Phangand E.L.Chong(eds.).
'1987.
TowardsConservingMalaysia'sMarineHeritage.Proc.TenthAnnualSeminar.28 March
Malaysian
Societyof MarineSciences,KualaLumpur,Malaysia.
34. Chan, E.H. 1986.Development
of the whitespot on leatherback
eggs.MarineTurtleNewsletter,
39,
o.8.
35. C h a n , E . H . 1 9 8 6 .T h e g i a n t l e a t h e r b a c tku r t l e so f R a n t a uA b a n g ,T e r e n g g a n uP. e l i t a ,1 / 1 9 8 6 ,
pp.24-29.
JO.
Chan,E.H. 1985.Twinembryosin unhatchedegg of Dermochelys
coriacea.MarineTurtleNewsletter,
32,pp.2-3.
37. Chan,E.H.,H.U.Sallehand H.C.Liew.1985.Effectsof handling
on hatchability
of eggsof theleatherback
turlle,Dermochelyscoriacea(L.). Pertanika,B(2),pp 265-271.
Table6. Significance/application
of researchfindingsof KUSTEM
in turtleconservation
1
6
Research
Significance
Monitoringthe survivaland growthof headstartedrrverterrapinsin the SetiuRiver
Providedthe impetusfor the initiation
of a longterm egg protectionand head-startingprojecton
the riverterrapinsof the SetiuRiver
Discoveryof long-rangemigratorypathways
and feedinggroundsof nestingturtlesof
PulauRedang.
Expedited
the formulation
of regionalmarine
turtleagreements
and memorandaof understanding.
Determination
of rangeof interesting
movementsof Ieatherbackturtles.
Led to the establishment
of the RantauAbang
RestrictedFishingZone for the protectionof
leatherback
turtles.
Assessmentof conservationstatusand
hatchery-related
researchof marineturtlesin
Terengganu.
Led to the introductionof in-situegg incubation
programmes
in Redanglsland.
Long{ermrn-sltuegg incubation
in Chagar
H u t a n gP
, u l a uR e d a n g .
Increaseslevelof egg protection
in Pulau
Redang.KUSTEMis now responsible
for over
70% of the eggsprotectedand incubatedin
PulauRedang.
Long{ermtaggingand nestingresearchin
PulauRedang.
Helpsmonitorstatusof an endangered
species
on a lono{ermbasrs.
turtlesixrtrouble
20
KUSTEMhas also provrdedtrarningto graduatesand undergraduates
of the universityby
encouraging
themto undertakeresearchon turtles.34 studentresearchprojectson various
aspectsof turtlesare given in Box 6, Some of these studentshave taken on academic
positionsin localuniversities
and continuedto maintaintheirresearchinterestin turtles.
In additionto carryingout scientificresearchto supportturtle conservation,KUSTEM is
also directlyinvolvedin practicalturtleconservationprojects.One of these is the grassprojectbasedin ChagarHutangBeach,PulauRedang.The
rootsgreenturtleconservation
projectintegratesin-situegg incubationwith taggingand nestingresearch,community
e d u c a t i o na n d p a r t i c i p a t i o n
a n d a v o l u n t e e rp r o g r a m m e( t h e S E A T R Uw e b s i t e
',i .'i:.,1a.,'.,-'1.,'L'.,|,.:,:',
i.t-r,:l; providesa description).
The projectgained international
recognition
when its scientistswere electedto the Global500 Rollof Honourby the United
NationsEnvironment
Programmein 2001(seeBox 7 for details).
The newly launchedriverterrapinproject,anotherpracticalconservationprojectaims to
securethe maximumnumberof terrapineggs possiblefor incubation,
head-starting
and
releaseoverthe nextten years(Chanet al.,2004). Becausethe speciesis recognized
as
one of the most criticallyendangeredfreshwaterturtlespeciesin the world,the projecthas
attractedinternational
attentionand is orofiledin the Asian TurtleConservationNetwork
website(www.asianturtlenetwork.org).
This augerswell as fundingprospectsimprovewith
projectvisibility.
With the knowledgethat publicparticipation
is vitalfor the successof conservationwork,
projectsthat serveto educatethe
KUSTEMhas developedinnovativepublicparticipation
publicas well as raisefundingnecessaryfor the conservation
work. The volunteer,nest,
turtleand terrapinadoptionprogrammes(detailsof adoptionschemesare given in Box 8)
link turtle researchand conservationto the generalpublicand impartto them the notion
that every individualhas a role to performin the conservation
of nature.
By takinga multi-pronged
approachin the researchand conservation
of turtlesin Malaysia,
KUSTEMhasset a uniqueexamplein itsquestto saveone of the mostendearing,
fascinating,
yet criticallyendangeredgroupof animalsever to treadthe earth.
benevolent,
C o n cl u d i n gRem ar ks
The turtlesof Malaysiaare in trouble,but if politicalwill existsand agencieschargedwith
protectingthe nation'sturtlesand other concernedinstitutionsand individualscome
togetherto save these remarkablecreatures,they can be assuredof theirrightfulplacein
Malaysia.
Whilesomeof the speciesmay appearto be beyondredemption
at this stage,
otherspeciescan stillbe foundin largenumbers.Thesespeciesneed immediateurgent
protecttonbeforethey too join the extinctionpathwayof the leatherbacks,
oliveridleysand
otherfreshwaterand terrestrialtuftles.
Theestablishment
of CTReCin KUSTEMwillconsolidate
the positionof the university
as the
for researchand conservation
centreof excellence
on all speciesof turtlesin the countryand
perhapsofferhopefor the survivalof turtlesin Malaysia.
turtles| r etrouble
21
Box 6: Graduate
and Undergraduate
Research
on Turtles
Master of Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Soh ChongLeng.Pending.The biologyand ecologyof riverterrapins(Batagurbaska)in Terengganu.
ChenPelfNyok.Pending.Head-starting
the riverterrapin,(Batagurbaska)in Terengganu,
Malaysia.
MoritaMasayuki.On-going.Red ant predationof greenturtlenestsand its controlin ChagarHutang,
P u l a uR e d a n g .
JamesBali. On-going.Biotelemetric
Studieson the greenturtles(Cheloniamydas)of the Sarawak
Turtlelslands.
ChaiSauSan.2002Sandtemperatureprofileandsexratioofgreenlurlle(Cheloniamydas)
hatchlings
profiling
of SarawakTurtlelslands,Malaysia.
Pushpalatha
M. Palaniappan.
1997.Temperature
and sex
(Chelonia
ratiosof greenturtlehatchlings
mydas)of ChagarHutangBeachin PulauRedang,
Terengganu,
Malaysia.
geneticsof green(Cheloniamydas)and hawksbill
JuanitaJoseph.2000.Studieson the population
(Eretmochelys
imbricata)turtlesin MalaysiausingDNA microsatellites.
profilingand Sex Ratiosof GreenTurtleHatchlings
Pushpalatha
M. Palaniappan.
1997.Temperature
(Chelonia
mydas)of ChagarHutangBeachin PulauRedang,Terengganu,
Malaysia.
Undergraduate Final Year Research
B.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
AkokAnakRamba.On-going.
Ghostcrabpredatron
of greenturtlenestsandhatchlings
in PulauSatang,
Sarawak.
DayangNur Dian bte. Mhd. Dinsik.On-going.Nestsite selectionof greenturtlesin ChagarHutang,
PulauRedang.
NinaFinolabte.Alipa,On-going.lsolation
and identification
of bacteriaoccurring
in the sandand nests
of greenturtlesin PulauSelingaan,
Sabahand PulauRedang,Terengganu.
Soh Chong Leng.2004.A study on the distribution,
movementand growthof captive-raised
river
terrapins(Batagurbaska)and wild paintedterrapins(Callagurborneoensls)
in SetiuRiver.
NattanaSimon.2004. Seawardmovementof green turtle(Chelonlamydas)hatchlingsand their
predation
in Ma' Daerah,Kerteh,Terengganu.
Chan Kian Weng. 2003.Temporalpatternof nocturnalemergenceof Greenfuile (Cheloniamydas)
hatchlings
from naturalnestsin ChagarHutang,PulauRedang.
PamelaVeronicaMarsh.2003.Relationship
betweenclutchsize and hatchingsuccessof the Green
fufle (Cheloniamydas)in ReCanglsland.
C h a n S i e w L e n . 2 0 0 3 . T h e rcmoanld i t i o n i n n e s t s o f v a r y i n g c l u t c h s i z e o f G r e e n T u r l l e ( C h e l o n i a m y d a s )
in Redanglsland.Terengganu.
Malaysia.
(Callagurborneoensis)
LiewChiowYen.200'1
. Detection
of DNAPolymorphisms
in PaintedTerrapins
usingthe RAPDMethod.
ClareWongHuiLing.1999.Taggingandnestingstudiesof greenturtles(Chelonia
mydas)PulauTalangtalangKechil,Sarawak.
ChaiSau San. 1999.A comparision
of hatchsuccessand sex ratiosof greenturtle(Chelonia
mydas)
eggsincubatedunderin situconditions
and in hatcheries
in PulauTalang{alang
Kechil,Sarawak.
OngAi Pyng.1999,Digestibility
and growthstudieson the greenlurlle (Cheloniamydas).
PangAKNyukang.'l999,Kajiankeataspersaranganpenyuagar(Cheloniamydas)danpenyulipas
(Lepidochelys
olivacea)
di PulauTalang-talang
Kechil,Sarawak.(Astudythe nestingbehaviour
of green
turtle(Cheloniamydas) and olive ridley(Lepidochelys
olivacea)turtlesin PulauTalangtalangKechil,
Sarawak).
A n d o r a H e m a F r e d e r i c k s J o 1h 9n 9. 8 . G h o s t c r a b ( O c y p o d e s pppr .e)d a t i o n o n g r e e n t u r l l e ( C h e l o n i a
mydas)nestand hatchlings
in ChagarHutang,PulauRedang.
JuanilaJoseph.1997.Taggingand nestingstudiesof greenturtle(Cheloniamydas)and hawksbill
(Eretmochelys
imbricata)
in PulauGulisaan,
Sabah,Malaysia.
ClintMarsilliueTiwol.1997.Sex ratioof hawksbill(Eretmochelys
imbricata)and green(Cheloniamydas)
turtlehatchlings
incubatedunderdifferent
conditions
in PulauGulisaan,
Sabah.
ClarenceB. JoannesSigam.1997.A comparision
of in-situand hatcheryincubation
techniques
for
hawksbill(Eretmochelys
imbricata)andgreen(Cheloniamydas)turtleeggsrnPulauGulisaan,Sandakan,
Sabah.
WendyJenniferLivinu.1997.Effectsof temperature
on sexualdifferentation
of the paintedterrapon,
Callagurborneoensis.
WanSomarnybt.WanMd.Zain.1996.Kesanakarke ataspenetasan
telurpenyuagar(Chelonia
mydas)
di ChagarHutang,PulauRedang.(Effectsof plantrootson hatchability
of greenturlle(Cheloniamydas)
eggsin ChagarHutang,PulauRedang).
turtles,;,;trouhle
22
Box 6: Graduateand UndergraduateResearchon Turtles (cont'd)
27. BurhanJapar.1995. Kajiankadarpemangsaanke atas anak tetasanpenyuagar (Cheloniamydas)di
in
mydas)hatchlings
ChagarHutang,PulauRedang.(A studyon thepredation
of greentuile (Chelonia
ChagarHutang,PulauRedang).
l 9d9. 5 . K a . i i a n k e a t a s s t a t u s e k o p
ne
oma
i jakdanpemajakantelurpenyudi
28. Mohd.HaizambinAhma
(A study on the economicstatusof turtleegg collectorsand economicsof the egg
Terengganu.
tendering
systemin Terengganu).
laut ke atasanaktetasanpenyu
29. ZainalAbidinbin Hadzir.1995.Kesansampahsarapdi permukaan
agar \Cheloniamydas).(Theeffectsof floatingdebnson greenturtle(Cheloniarnydas)hatchlings).
p e r i o da n d
3 0 . P u s h p a l a t haa/ p M . P a l a n i a p p a n1.9 9 4 .T h e e f f e c t so f r e t e n t i o np e r i o d ,i n c u b a t i o n
vigour.
incubation
methodon turtlehatchling
31. Heng Hau Tong.1992. Efiectsof variousfeeds on the growthand survivalof soft-shelllurtle,Trionyx
slnensisWiegmann.
'1990.
(Dermochelys
Pergerakan
danorientasi
anaktetasanpenyubelimbing
32. Malarveni
a/p Periasamy.
coriacea)
terhadapbeberapajenis parameterfizikaldan kimia.(Theefiectsof severalphysicaland
chemicalparameterson the movementand orientationof leatherback(Dermochelyscoriaceal
hatchlings).
33. Lee Loh. 1989.Kesan cahayake atas gerakbalaspenyu belimbing.(The effectsof light on the
movementof leatherback
turtles),
by
of squid,jellyfishand macrozooplankton
34. K. RamnickLal Verma.1988.A studyon the digestibility
leatherback
hatchlings.
GreenTurtleHatchling
turtles',, tro,uhle
23
Box 7
Global500 Roll of Honourof the UnitedNationsEnvironmentProoramme
@)
Awardedto KUSTEMScientists
in recognitionof outstandingpracticalachievements
in the protectionand improvementof the environmentin 2001
@)
UNEP
Commercial
harvesting
of sea turtleeggs in Redanglsland,Malaysiahaveprovidedthe islanders
with a
readysourceof incomefor manydecades.The localGovernment
considers
thisto be a traditional
rightof
the islanders,and hence issuesannuallicensesfor turtleegg collection,
consumption
and sale.This
practicehasinevitably
ledto the declineof turtlenestingpopulations
in Redang,to the extentthattheturtles
are nowfacedwith imminentextinction.
The Sea TurtleResearchUnit(SEATRU)of the University
Collegeof Scienceand Technology
Malaysia
havemademanyappealsoverthe lastseveralyearsto the localgovernment
to stop issuinglicensesfor
turtleegg collection,
Realizing
thatthe appealscannottakeimmediate
effect,SEATRUscientists
startedto
raisefundsfromthe publicto helpthembuy the eggsoverfromthe ilcensedegg collectors
for incubation
and protection
at ChagarHutangbeach,the majornestingbeachrn Redang.
Theeggsare lefttodevelopin
their naturalnestsand hatchlings
whichemergeare allowedto maketheirway naturallyto the sea to
replenish
the decliningpopulation.
Overthe lastdecade,SEATRUhaseffectively
stoppedthe passageof morethan300,000turtleeggsto the
programme,
markets,
andsavedthemfromhumanconsumption.
Throughtheegg protection
overa quarter
millionhatchlings
havebeenreleasedto the oceanfrom a beachwhichhad neverseenhatchlings
beino
producedbeforethe initiation
programme.
of the turtleconservation
SEATRUhas adheredto the "ln-slfu"incubationconceptin whichthe eggs are left in therrnaturalneststo
developand not dug up and relocated
to hatcheries.
Thispracticeensuresa mixedsex-ratio
outputin the
producedas well as optimalhatchrates.SEATRUhas also madesignificant
hatchlings
contributions
to
advancethe causeof conservation
throughresearch.
Theirsatellitetrackingstudieshave providedthe
programmes
impetusfor the development
of regionalcollaborative
turtleconservation
in SouthEastAsia.
Longtermtaggingstudiesof greenand hawksbill
turtlesare nowgenerating
information
on the population
dynamicsof the turtleswhichis vitalfor assessing
furtherconservation
measures.
and formulating
(Sea TurtleOutreachProgramme)
A conceptcalledS.T.O.P.
has also been developedby SEATRUto
enableindividual
membersof the publicto becomedirectlyinvolved
in seaturtleconservation
efortsthrough
a volunteerprogramme,and nest and turtleadoptionschemes.A local Englishdaily has run monthly
featureson the comprehensive
turtleconservationprogrammeundertakenby SEATRUin orderto reacha
publicon the urgentneedto savethe
wideraudienceand creategreaterawareness
amongthe Malaysian
turtles.SEATRUalso has its own website(www.kustem.edu.my/seatru)
to help reacha globalaudience
and givegreatertransparency
to the program.
Theworkof SEATRUhasalsobeenfeaturedin a 25 minute
documentary
by NHK,theJapaneseBroadcasting
in 1999.S.T.O.P.
Corporation,
has beenso effective
that
programmes
it is now servingas a modelfor otherturtleconservation
in the country.
Throughthevariousturtlecampsconducted
everyyearforthe children
of Redang,SEATRUis reaching
the
childrenof theeggcollectors
andappealing
to themnotto eatturtleeggs,as in doingso,theyareefectively
killingturtles.Seedsof awarenesshavebeenplantedamongthe children,
and a senseof prideand love
createdfor the uniqueenvironment
thattheysharewiththeturtles.
Talksarealsogivento theeggcollectors
periodically
and strongappealsmadeto themto helpsavethe turtles,a nationaltreasure.
The effortsof SEATRUhavetouchedmanyheartsin Malaysiaand demonstrated
thatwhat is now being
donefor one importantnestingbeachin Redangcan be usedas a modelto initiatesimilarconservation
programmesfor other importantnestingbeachesthroughoutthe country More importantly,
SEATRUhas
helpedinstilla senseof responsibility
and prideamongthe generalpublicin thatas privatecitizens,
they
can and havedonesomething
to helpsavean endangered
species.
turttresit:.trouble
24
Box 8
Swethelurths an[ (errafins Camyaign
KUSTEMis involvedrn a projectto savethe marineturtlesof PulauRedangand riverterrapinsof Sungar
fromextinction.
Setiu,Terengganu
Fundsareraisedto helppurchase
turtleandterrapineggsfromlocalegg
for hatching.Marineturtlehatchlings
collectors
are allowedto crawlto the oceanuponemergence
while
riverterrapinhatchlingsare raisedin captivityfor one to threeyearsbeforereleaseinto the Setiu River.
projectby participating
We wouldliketo inviteyou to contribute
to this worthwhile
in our nesl and turtle/
terrapinadoptionschemes.Eachadoptionwillbe provided
withthe following:
. An adootioncertificate
. An officialKUSTEMreceiptfor yourdonation(tax-deductible
if your lC no. is provided)
. Informatron
aboutyournestor turtle(willbe sentlater)
. An exclusivegift
MarineTurtleand NestAdoption Scheme
Allnestspurchased
areincubated
in theirnaturalsitesin ChagarHutang,PulauRedang.Onenestadoption
costsRM200whileone turtleadootioncostsRM100.
TerrapinAdoption Scheme
You havea choiceof adoptinga terrapinto be raisedfor one / two / threeyears
beforerelease.Adoptionratesare as follows:
.
.
.
Oneterrapinto be raisedto one year :
One terrapinto be raisedto two years :
Oneterrapinto be raisedto threeyears :
RM150
RM250
RM350
Acknowledgements
I am indebtedto the Fisheries
Department
the Wildlife
of Malaysia,
SabahParksAuthority,
Departmentof Sabah,the SarawakForestryCorporationand Departmentof Wildlifeand
NationalParksMalaysiafor use of statisticscollectedby the respectiveagencies.
I wouldalso like to expressmy gratitudeto the followingpersonswho have contributedto
the preparationof this publication:
. HelenCorrigan,Citestradedata programmeofficerof the UNEP-WorldConservation
MonitoringCentrein Cambridgerespondedinstantlyupon my requestfor CITESdata,
madethoughmy friendHilaryChiew.
. Graphswere producedwith the help of my son, JeremyLiew Jee Weng, and my
graduatestudent,Soh Chong Leng,who also helpedinsertthe figures,tablesand
boxesin the correctplaces.
. The photographused in the backcoverwas taken by my daughter,Liew Shao-Yi.
. Chen Pelf Nyok,anotherof my graduatestudents,photographed
the watermarkin the
back cover,helpedsort out the referencesand checkedmy finaldraft.
. My friend,EMS,readmy draftand mademanyusefulsuggestions.
The hawksbillon the cover is creditedto U. Keuper-Bennett
and P. Bennettwhile that of
the olive ridley is extractedfrom a poster producedby the QueenslandDepartmentof
Environmental
Heritage
Prof.Dato'Dr. MohamedMahyuddinMohdDahan,the Rectorof KUSTEMis acknowledged
for supportingturtleresearchand conservation
over the years.
Finally,
to all peoplewho havecomeintomy lifeandofferedhelp,supportand encouragement,
a big thankfrom the bottomof my heart.
turtles.;;trouble
25
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