ID :
292611
Thu, 07/11/2013 - 09:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/292611
The shortlink copeid
Losing Turtles On Our Beaches Equivalent To Losing Tourism Income
By Wan Shahara Ahmad Ghazali
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- For a 100 million years, turtles thrived
on Planet Earth, astounded human beings with their longevity and became the
icons of the sea.
And then came modernity, progress and human beings’ apathy towards the
environment and the ecology around us. However, playing with nature has its
consequences, and unless we want our fortunes to turn turtle, we need to act.
If turtles are unable to land on the beaches of Malaysia, it will not only
be a loss of a natural national heritage but also a potential loss in the income
that tourism generates for states where these turtles take shelter and
procreate.
Thanks to ecological mistakes, these turtles have already made it to the
list of endangered species. Fittingly, Malaysia has been quick off the block to
come up with a conservation plan to ensure the continued existence of turtles on
our beaches and also as the nation's sea icon.
Turtles are ancient reptiles that have existed on our planet for 100 million
years, and have a long lifespan with 20-50 years taken to reach maturity.
NATURAL HERITAGE
Since a turtle takes a long time to mature, it is vulnerable to man-made
causes of mortality.
Nevertheless, according to historical records, sea turtles have been a part
of the country's rich natural heritage for years, but now stand threatened due
to loss of habitat and nesting sites, increasing pollution, predation, over
hunting and a lack of understanding of their important role in maintaining the
equilibrium of the ecosystem.
Out of the seven species of sea turtles that exist in the world, four seek
shelter in Malaysia. These species are the penyu Belimbing or Dermochelys
coriacea, which is the world's largest turtle, the penyu Agar (Chelonia mydas),
the penyu Karah (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the penyu Lipas or Lepidochelys
olivacea.
The landing of the penyu Karah on the Malaysian beach is, in fact, recorded
in the "Description of Malacca, Meridional India and Cathay," written by Emanuel
Godinho de Eredia in 1613.
ONLY IN RANTAU ABANG
Peninsular Malaysia's east coast state of Terengganu, for instance, has
recorded the highest number of turtle landings. In fact, turtles enjoy a special
relationship with the people in the state who have appropriately chosen it as
the state’s icon; what’s more, it is also the state football team’s mascot.
Therefore, it did not come as a surprise to many when Chief Executive
Officer of WWF-Malaysia Dr Dionysius Sharma described Terengganu as the luckiest
state in the country for being the most important landing location for the four
species of turtles that land on Malaysian beaches.
Unfortunately, all the four species are now on the IUCN (International Union
for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Critically Endangered.
"For 60 years, the term “Rantau Abang” was popular among foreign tourists as
they could gaze at the Belimbing turtle," he said, adding that once, more than
10,000 turtles of the Belimbing species, a leatherback turtle variety, had
landed on the beach.
Sadly, over the last 20 years, the number of Belimbing turtles on the beach
has declined drastically, with the country losing about 99 per cent of the
turtles. In fact, in the last two years, no belimbing turtle has landed on the
beaches of Terengganu.
The number of turtle species in the country is declining at an alarming
rate. In fact, the number of penyu lipas in the country has gone down by 95 per
cent, and the population of the penyu agar has dropped by 60 per cent.
The only states in which the penyu karah has been spotted in large numbers
are Melaka and Sabah, which claim there are 400 and 600 nests respectively.
The population of turtles in other states such as Terengganu and Johor has
reduced by more than 60 per cent.
Researchers are contemplating the disappearance of these turtles since these
ancient reptiles have the uncanny ability to return to the same beach where they
had laid their eggs.
"We need to realise that the declining population of the turtles is not only
a great loss to the country's heritage but also a loss to the Malaysian economy.
Turtles used to land in Terengganu, Pahang, Melaka, Sabah, and Sarawak. Now,
they cannot be seen in these states," Dionysius said.
Most of the turtles used to land in Terengganu, with approximately 2,500
turtle nests made by the penyu agar species.
HEALTHY MARINE ECOSYSTEM
Terengganu's ecotourism industry generated a revenue of RM3.34 billion
(US$1.06 billion) last year. The state welcomed close to 3.38 million tourists,
including 2.77 million domestic tourists. Many of them were believed to have
been on a quest to see these turtles.
The turtle landing season has been listed as one of the eight attractions
for people visiting Terengganu.
Dionysius believes that a low-impact turtle ecotourism plan, if implemented
according to the relevant guidelines, will continue to generate revenue for
locals, while helping to sustain the existence of turtles, which plays an
important role in the maintenance of a healthy marine ecosystem.
"On the other hand, an ecotourism plan which exploits turtles will only
bring about negative effects and ultimately decimate the turtle population. This
will have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem, too," he stressed.
Many turtles get trapped in the fishing nets, and also lose their habitats
to unplanned coastal area development. In addition, people steal turtle eggs
from beaches for trading purposes. These are some of the reasons for the decline
of the turtle population.
Till today, there are no laws at the federal level to prevent the trade of
turtle eggs. There is one law in Terengganu that prohibits the sale of penyu
belimbing eggs. Turtle eggs are sold in other states even though turtles are on
the brink of extinction.
WWF-Malaysia, meanwhile, has appealed to the Terengganu government and other
states where turtles land, to amend the state laws and ban the sale of turtle
eggs.
Dionysius also hopes that other parties will remain committed and ensure
that related industry players continue to adhere to the guidelines and laws so
that Malaysia can conserve the turtle species.
"This will also assure tourists of a meaningful experience besides promoting
Terengganu as the leading turtle ecotourism destination, both at home and on an
international scale," he said.
WORLD TURTLE DAY
This year, the World Turtle Day was celebrated on June 22, and the theme of
the event was "Race Against Extinction."
The joy was redoubled when experts heard a beep, a sound of hope, on the
same day. This was the sound of the WWF-Malaysia successfully receiving the
first signal transmitted from a penyu Agar, which had been fitted with a
satellite transmitter.
The turtle had been released into Pantai Chakar Hutan after being fitted
with the transmitter on June 16.
This sophisticated technology will enable WWF-Malaysia to track the journey
of the turtle back to its food hunting area. This way, we will be able to
understand its way of life.
The World Turtle Day was celebrated in Taman Awam Batu Burok in a jubilant
manner. In Kuala Terengganu, several activities were organised to educate the
public on the importance of conserving turtles and coastal areas.
A turtle costume contest, an exhibition, a drawing competition, a turtle
race, and an entertainment show were organised for the public.
Remember that if we remained apathetic towards the fate of turtles, the
future generations may never know what it felt like to watch baby turtles enter
the surfs upon hatching, to be seen again as juveniles in the foraging areas.
Turtles have become a symbol of environmental-friendly activists’ fight
against ecological disasters, and Malaysia is playing its role with aplomb. That
beep proved it, and we must not let our guard down.
-- BERNAMA