(MY) action alert on leatherbacks

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

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*ACTION ALERT - HELP SAVE OUR LEATHERBACKS FROM EXTINCTION!*

 

 

 

Friends of the Earth Malaysia also known as Sahabat Alam Malaysia(SAM) would

like to draw your attention to the plight of the Leatherbacks, which have

been visiting our shores for decades, but today they are virtually gone.

Their disappearance has been anticipated before but despite repeated

warnings by concerned environmentalists there were no concerted efforts to

address the problem.

 

 

 

Malaysia had been fortunate enough to play host to these gentle creatures

from the sea for decades. In the past, Rantau Abang in Terengganu, gained

an international reputation for leatherback turtle landings and it grew

into a tourist destination.

 

 

 

For years Leatherback traversed thousands of miles through dangerous

journey back to the places where life began for them, believed safe from

their human predators only to be met with more threats.

 

 

 

Despite their survival through the ages, their major predator is

surprisingly " man. " Human greed and short-sightedness have caused them to

be severely threatened.

 

 

 

The threats faced are:

 

 

 

¡ñ Consumption of turtle eggs ¨C the collection and consumption of

turtle eggs has affected the leatherbacks' population. Though a ban was

imposed on collection of leatherback eggs in 1990, the ban has been flouted.

 

 

 

¡ñ Development of hotels and resorts ¨C Development along the beach

front have robbed the turtles of their nesting grounds. Lights from the

buildings disorientate the turtles or distract the hatchlings.

 

 

 

¡ñ Nuisance caused by tourists ¨C Disturbance and the rowdy behaviour

of tourists such as sitting on top of the turtles during their egg laying

period, shining torchlight into the turtle eyes, preventing the turtles

from returning to sea, shouting and turning on their transistor radios at

full volume and other abuse meted on the turtles.

 

 

 

¡ñ Threatened turtle habitats ¨C Habitats of coral reefs where

turtles find food and shelter are being destroyed due to pollution.

 

 

 

¡ñ Sea pollution ¨C Pollution from oil spills and toxic waste dumped

into the sea can poison turtles or infect them with diseases. Plastic bags

and Styrofoam dumped into the sea can be mistaken for jellyfish, which when

eaten can choke the turtles.

 

 

 

¡ñ Fishing nets ¨C Turtles are often killed when caught in trawler

nets and they also get entangled in old nets discarded by fishermen.

 

 

 

¡ñ Beach activities ¨C Water scooters and other types of motorized

seacraft can cause injuries to turtles including boat propellers.

 

 

 

Apart from human activities turtles are faced with their own predators such

as lizards, crabs and ants which prey on their eggs or the young.

 

 

 

Do these beleagued creatures then have any protection at all? Not so

because when Terengganu placed a total ban on the collection and consumption

of leatherback eggs in 1990 when they realized they were about to lose an

attraction, it was too late. Numbers of leatherbacks had dwindled that it

no longer has a viable population. A 1996 study by the World Wide Fund for

Nature (WWF) Malaysia showed that the Turtle Enactment 1951 and subsequent

amendments in 1987 and 1989 to the Enactment to protect the turtles met with

lukewarm response. This was because the enactment regulates exploitation of

the animals rather than conservation.

 

 

 

Islands and coastal areas are still being developed in ways that are

inappropriate, turtle breeding and feeding grounds remain polluted and

fishing methods that kill turtles are still being practiced.

 

 

 

Laws protecting turtles, both terrestrial and marine are insufficient. While

certain categories of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects were listed under

the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, the list did not include turtles and

terrapins. Similarly the Fisheries Act 1985 protects turtles from

exploitation only while they are in the water, but once they emerge onto the

beach it is considered a State matter, with the respective state

governments exercising their right to enforce their own rules regarding

turtles and their eggs.

 

 

 

It does not help too when the leatherback population is suffering from an

unhealthy gender imbalance where the hatchery method which subjected the egg

clutches to direct sunlight, had resulted in temperatures favouring the

formation of female hatchlings. Without the males to fertilise the eggs

the females produced eggs which could not produce hatchlings.

 

 

 

The fact that their numbers had been declining steadily is cause for

concern. For instance in 1955 during the landing season in Rantau Abang,

100 landings of these reptiles were recorded a night; in 1999 nine nestings

recorded for the entire year ( Department of Fisheries.) In 2004 only six

Leatherbacks came to nest compared with 14 in 2003 (New Straits Times Aug 3,

2005).

 

 

 

Turtles are the pride of Terengganu. Besides the Leatherbacks, Terengganu

beaches are the nesting grounds for four of the world's seven species of

marine turtles namely the Green, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Leatherback

which are all protected under the Fisheries Act 1985.

 

 

 

Clearly not enough is being done to protect the precious marine wildlife. A

United Nations Environment Programme report was an eye opener to the true

situation of the leatherbacks and if concerted action is not taken now, the

giants will ascend no more on our shores.

 

 

 

What you can do. Kindly write to:

 

 

 

*YAB Dato' Seri Haji Idris bin Jusoh*

 

Menteri Besar

 

Terengganu State Government

 

Tingkat 16, Wisma Darul Iman

 

Office of the Menteri Besar of Terengganu

 

20502 Kuala Terengganu

 

Terengganu

 

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*Fax: 6 09 6233612*

 

 

 

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*Director General of Fisheries*

 

Department of Fisheries Malaysia

 

Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry

 

Wisma Tani, Aras 1-7

 

Lot 4G2, Presint 4

 

Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan

 

62628 Putra Jaya

 

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*Fax: 6 03 88891233*

 

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*Director*

 

Fisheries Department of Terengganu State

 

Wima Perikanan Negeri

 

Taman Perikanan Chendering

 

21080 Chendering

 

Terengganu

 

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*Fax: 6 09 6172141*

 

 

 

to urge for drastic as well as innovative steps to address the decline;

 

 

 

request for protection of all turtle eggs, that is, a total ban on

consumption and sale;

 

 

 

have a uniform set of legislation with common protection policies and

practices for all states where turtles land and nest; and call for the

establishment

of more turtle sanctuaries.

 

 

 

Also write to:

 

 

 

*Assistant** State** Secretary to the State Government of Terengganu*

 

Industrial & Tourism Development Division

Secretariat Office State of Terengganu

Level 13, Wisma Darul Iman

20503 Kuala Terengganu.

 

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*Fax: 624 6989*

 

 

 

and to the Malaysian Embassy in your country to demand that no further

coastal development be allowed near turtle nesting sites and to regulate

activities of tourists during turtle watching.

 

 

 

Kindly fax and email a copy of your letters to us at alammsia to

enable us to retrieve for posting to the respective Heads of Department as

their emails are not available.

 

 

 

We thank you for your concern and support.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Mr. S M Mohd Idris

President

Friends of the Earth Malaysia/Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)

9 Solok Mas

11600 Penang, Malaysia

Tel: 6 04 6596930 Fax: 6 04 6596931

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