A Sanctuary For Nesting Turtles

By Ali Imran Mohd Noordin KUALA TERENGGANU (Terengganu, Malaysia) Sept 20 (Bernama) -- No other place in Peninsular Malaysia has the highest rates of sea turtles nesting than Pantai Chagar Hutang in Redang Island, Terengganu. Before the beach was gazetted by the state Department of Fisheries as a turtle sanctuary in 1993, the northern part of the island was a popular place for turtle egg hunters to get their supply. After the gazettement, the activity was immediately banned and the place subsequently became a sanctuary for nesting turtles. The 350-metre long beach is closed to any tourism or commercial activities in order to retain its natural landscape so that turtles can nest without being disturbed by humans. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) runs several programmes on the nesting beach through its Sea Turtle Research Station where it monitors, studies and organises academic activities related to turtle conservation. The centre can accommodate around 15 people at a time and this includes turtle rangers, academic researchers and volunteers. MORE COMING IN The number of turtles coming up to nest at Chagar Hutang Beach has risen over the past 25 years, thanks to the consistent conservation efforts. In 1993, only 302 nests were recorded. Twenty years later, the figure has increased by 300 percent to 1,019 nests. Until the first week of September 2018, 1,011 turtles were recorded at the beach with 714 nests built. These numbers have made the beach a favourite location for turtle researchers from Australia, Japan and Cambodia, among others. At the time of writing, Yuichiro Hashimo, a researcher from the Kyoto University in Japan is studying the process of hatchlings emerging from their nest using ultrasonic technology. According to Hashimo, the Chagar Hutang beach is the best location for the research as it allowed him to observe the turtles in their natural habitat, providing for more accurate insights. SMART PARTNERSHIP Since its gazettement, the management of the beach and the surrounding area has been handed over to UMT's Sea Turtle Research Unit (Seatru). Seatru strictly monitors turtle arrivals and nesting behaviour as well as safeguards the eggs. This is in addition to running a variety of research to better understand the habits of the species. The Department of Fisheries, meanwhile, conducts scheduled visits and provides consultancy and assistance in cases involving turtle safety, such as in seeking treatment for injured turtles. A strategic partnership has also been developed with the villagers of Kampung Baru Pulau Redang through a nature education programme that teaches the children of the island about turtle conservation. Kampung Baru is the main village on the resort island. Several resort operators on the island have also become strategic partners to Seatru such as the Berjaya Redang Resort, which provides special laboratories for Seatru to conduct research. Another operator, Laguna Redang Island Resort, meanwhile is sponsoring the cost of boat rental to ferry Seatru volunteers and researchers to the island. BEACH RULES The Chagar Hutang Beach is off-limits to the public, despite it being located on Redang Island - a well-known tourist destination. Those allowed to enter are only academic researchers, Seatru volunteers and those sending in food supply. However, all activities involving humans at the beach are only permitted until 3pm, after which the area must be vacated. This rule is necessary to prevent disturbances to female turtles that would approach the beach area at about 3pm, in order to determine a suitable nesting spot. The later the beach is vacated, the longer it would take for the turtles to come to nest. "Turtles are highly sensitive before nesting. They are sensitive to movements, light, sound and predators, among others. That is why all staff and volunteers here are trained to minimise or eliminate disturbances to the turtles in whatever they do," said researcher cum Seatru Chief Dr. Mohd Uzair Rusli. Even patrols on the beach are done in small groups, and any light used would be red in colour as turtles are not sensitive to the colour red. No one is allowed to walk in front of a turtle either, so as not to disturb it. "We only use lights when it is truly necessary and at certain places only. The use of diesel-powered generators are also minimised as the loud noise can disturb the turtles. “Light and sound can cause a turtle to become uncomfortable and abort its plans to nest," he explained. VOLUNTEERING Volunteering at the beach is on the wishlist of many sea turtle conservationists. Seatru avails to 10 lucky volunteers aged 18 and above the opportunity to stay a week at the beach for every week between April and September, every year. However, there are requisites that must be adhered to and this includes a fee of RM500 for students and RM800 for others. The fee is used to cover the operational and maintenance costs of the research centre which comes up to RM150,000 a year. The programme introduced in 1998 allows volunteers the chance to participate in activities like turtle health checks, monitoring the eggs during the incubation process, beach patrols and monitoring the hatchlings as they make their way to the sea. Mohd Uzair said the programme is highly popular with overseas volunteer and hoped more Malaysians would join in as well. Those interested to learn more about Seatru and the volunteer programme can visit www.seatru.umt.edu.my. Translated by Sakina Mohamed --BERNAMA