Green Turtles project: Activities

A ray of hope

The WWF turtle conservation programme in Malaysia kicked off in the early nineties, focusing mainly on educating school children. By 1999, the Ma'Daerah Sanctuary had been established in conjunction with the Fisheries Department and British Petroleum Acetyls.

Since 2003, WWF has been targeting the community at large, ensuring those who decide on the fate of turtles comprehend the importance of conserving them.

Decisive first steps
The first phase of WWF's marine turtle project in Malaysia placed a strong emphasis on the younger generation. Under the auspices of WWF, schools in the State of Terengganu used games, competitions and lectures to sensitise children to the fate of these reptiles.

As soon as the Ma'Daerah Sanctuary was established, entire classes came to the longhouse and interpretation centre, and many took part in the release of hatchlings to the ocean. By 2003, most grades had undergone WWF's teaching programme and it was time to initiate phase 2 of the project.

Taking stock and shifting focus
By 2003, it became apparent that parents and adults in general also needed to be involved in WWF's work, as educating children alone was not yielding the results hoped for. Turtles were still being caught in nets and eggs harvested all too frequently.

Community leaders and well-respected individuals became WWF's new prime targets. The idea was to create a domino effect: directly involving influential locals to have far reaching repercussions through all levels of society.

Instilling conservation values
In May 2003, WWF created a 30-member strong community interest group including community leaders, teachers, fishermen and people working in the nearby petro-chemical industry. Under the guidance of WWF, the interest group voted for a committee of 15 to take the lead on topics of interest and elaborate activities around conservation-related themes.

The group chose education & awareness; policy; publications; promotion & publicity; and community interests as their themes. Five members of the committee are spearheading an array of activities on the subjects.

From the group to the community at large
In the three meetings that followed the creation of the interest group, education & awareness emerged as the first subject-area to act on. Motivated largely by the presence of an enthusiastic school teacher, the group is starting to organise a set of activities aimed at the local community.

As ideas take shape in the minds of the participants, interest in turtle conservation grows, hand in hand with possible ways of benefiting from their presence.

Trust and persuasion
Through the interest group, WWF is slowly earning the trust of the locals and finding ways of showing them the value of saving the green turtle. Fishermen are starting to realise the point of using different nets and fishing practices.

Workers at the petro-chemical plants are seeing reptiles under a different light, and the mindset of parents is converging towards that of the children involved in WWF's school education project.

Getting the government's benediction
In parallel to on-site activities, WWF is also attempting to revive a proposal to have Ma'Daerah officially gazetted as a turtle sanctuary by the government. This is the only way to ensure long-term protection for that 1.7-km stretch of coastline.

When the proposal was first submitted some years back, it did not receive the attention it deserved and ended up being sidelined by the out-going party. Today, WWF is working with the new government to bring back the plan and make it a reality.

The global context
The work carried out by WWF Malaysia inscribes itself in a global context of action. WWF offices around the world are making a concerted effort to protect turtles at all stages of their life cycle.

From establishing protected areas at sea and on the coast, to raising awareness and promoting ecotourism, WWF wishes to curb the loss and degradation of critical marine turtle habitat. Other activities encompass promoting regional and international agreements to conserve marine turtles, lobbying for turtle-friendly fishing practices, and halting the trade of turtle meat and eggs.