Green Turtles project: the Area
Sand castle with two turrets
Ma'Daerah, the site of WWF's turtle project, is a secluded 1.7-km sandy beach surrounded by forest and delimited at its extremities by two hills. This stretch of coastline, bathed by the South China Sea, is part of the Kemaman district, on the east of the State of Terengganu, one of Malaysia's 13 states.
Ma'Daerah's other pearls
The green turtle is the raison d'être of the Sanctuary, but in actual fact, many other plants and animals live within Ma'Daerah's boundaries. Species of special importance include the endangered pied hornbill, gibbons and even a lonesome tiger. To determine exactly what inhabits the coastal forest and beach, WWF is carrying out a biodiversity survey.
The only access road to Ma'Daerah is a rough track cutting through secondary forest and small orchards. A longhouse stands in the middle of the beach. Its 8 rooms accommodate the 5 men employed by the Fisheries Department to patrol the area, as well as researchers and volunteers who come to spend a weekend or more working with the turtles.
It also has an interpretation centre that is mostly used to teach school children. The open-air hatchery is where turtle eggs are moved to once laid, to keep them out of the poachers' reach.
Special features
Petrochemical companies heavily use the area of Malaysia where the Sanctuary is located. Their activities mean that much of the coastline is covered in flares and features several power plants. Ma'Daerah's configuration shelters it from the commotion and the brightness of the flares, providing a safe heaven for the turtles to come ashore.
A fraction of the country's coastline
0.036% is the area covered by the Sanctuary as a proportion of Malaysia's total coastline, which amounts to 4,675 km. Extending south of Thailand and tailing off at Singapore, the Malaysian Peninsula covers 131,313 sq. km, an area slightly larger than New Mexico, and boasts 2,068 km of coast.
East Malaysia, which comprises Sabah and Sarawak, has 2,607 km. Counting the country's total surface area, which is 329,750 sq. km, Ma'Daerah represents a mere 0.005%.
