Green Turtles project: Background

Changing attitudes ... perhaps the hardest?

A key part of WWF's work in Malaysia is raising awareness to the plight of species facing extinction. With green turtles being classed as endangered, changing the perspectives of the locals living around Ma'Daerah is an urgent but difficult matter.

By engaging directly with society on the ground, WWF is striving to get people to pay attention to the environment and to turtles in particular.

Hard evidence: a horrific decline
Rantau Abang, the first and only turtle sanctuary on mainland Malaysia to be gazetted by the government, illustrates the impact of the threats turtles face and the urgency of conservation actions.

In the 1950's, officials from the Fisheries Department recorded 10,000 leatherback landings per season. In 2000, only 3 leatherback turtles came to the beach to nest.

Common modus operandi
The State of Terengganu, where the Ma'Daerah Sanctuary is located, is not a rich place. Most people here do not go to supermarkets to get their food; they rely heavily on Mother Nature.

The sea and the beaches are their shopping malls. For centuries the locals have harvested eggs from the sand and found turtles in their fishing nets. Today, as turtle eggs fetch a high price on the market (a green turtle eggs sells for 2RM, 8 times more than a chicken egg), they also collect and sell them to be able to buy other commodities.

Conservation: an unfamiliar notion
To the communities around Ma'Daerah, the idea of conserving turtles is alien. Their main worry is where they will get their next meal. In this context, when the fishermen come back with turtles in their nets, it just means that they will eat reptile rather than fish. Consuming these creatures and their eggs is not associated with the concept of extinction, and conservation is not part of the mindset.

Within the law
Furthermore, in Malaysia it is only illegal to collect leatherback eggs. All other turtles do not come under any specific legislation in terms of consumption or trade. As such, collecting and selling green turtle eggs is on par with harvesting chicken eggs. On this basis, neither poachers nor the locals are going against the law.

Worth more alive than dead
A recent WWF report found that marine turtle tourism brings in almost 3 times more money than the sale of turtle products. Setting up ecotourism activities at Ma'Daerah could provide the funds the locals lack to lead a sustainable lifestyle.

It would also generate an opportunity to inform the public about the plight of marine turtles. No sharp business sense is required however to see that continued egg collection and fishing with unfriendly nets will soon lead to the collapse of the current source of livelihoods, as well as mark the end of any potential future endeavours involving tourists.