Siti Norazliyana Ali, known as Yana, grew up in the coastal city of Malacca in Malaysia. The marine biologist leads the Malacca Hawksbill Conservation programme of WWF-Malaysia. She works closely with the coastal communities in the area – including former poachers – to protect hawksbill sea turtles. The people who used to threaten this endangered species have now become their protectors.
Please tell us more about the programme.
Hawksbill turtles contribute to healthy marine ecosystems in the Coral Triangle, but they are critically endangered. Malacca has the largest population of hawksbills in the region and the health of this population is essential for the survival of the greater population across Southeast Asia.
One of the major threats to sea turtles is poaching. In many states of Peninsular Malaysia selling sea turtle eggs is still legal, except for the eggs of the leatherback turtle. People need a license from the Department of Fisheries to legally collect eggs. But the regulations helping to conserve the species seem to improve. As from June 2022, for example, it will be illegal to sell eggs of all sea turtle species in the state of Terengganu.
It’s important to combine species conservation efforts with improving the livelihood and education of the people in the area. They are two sides of the same coin. Despite the importance of nature conservation for all life on Earth, coastal communities cannot be left behind. And since it’s not illegal to sell turtle eggs in this area, it’s even more important to work closely with the people here. We must share knowledge and work together to create viable alternative livelihood options.
“Traditional knowledge that has been embedded in the culture of coastal communities is of great use in finding sea turtle tracks and the eggs.”
The sea turtle guardian programme in Malacca started in 2014. WWF works closely with people living near the beach and offers them training to become a turtle guardian. Our objective is to involve them in the protection of an endangered species, as well as offering them an alternative source of livelihood, as they will be paid for their contribution to monitoring and protection.
Why do you work with sea turtle guardians?
In Malacca, we’re collaborating with the Department of Fisheries in monitoring nine turtle beaches. Each beach has one or two turtle guardians depending on the number of nests. To protect the eggs, you need to know where to find them. Traditional knowledge that has been embedded in the culture of coastal communities is of great use in finding sea turtle tracks and the eggs. People who don’t have experience, won’t find the nests.
“Perhaps even more important is the social impact of the sea turtle guardians.”
We train community members to become citizen scientists. By working with us, they gain a lot of knowledge. Not only about why it is important to protect sea turtles and how to protect their eggs, but also how to collect and understand species data. They gain a deeper understanding of their natural environment.
Perhaps even more important is the social impact of the sea turtle guardians. The communities of Malacca have been selling turtle eggs for many generations. It’s not easy to change behaviour that has been part of a culture for such a long time. Because the turtle guardians are part of the community, it’s easier for them to talk with the people and explain why it’s important to protect the eggs.
Poachers, who have searched for turtle nests to make a living, are particularly skilled in finding them. Many of them were poachers for years. By convincing them to work with us, they put their valuable skills to good use instead of contributing to the decline of the species. At the same time they earn money. It’s a win-win situation.
We explain to them that if they keep taking eggs, there won’t be any turtles any more in 20 years. And that if you take care of them instead, it will have a long-term effect benefitting the entire region. Once the poacher decides to work with us, there is still a lot of work to do. We need to train and guide them to make sure it all goes well. But it’s worth it.
“By convincing poachers to work with us, they put their valuable skills to good use instead of contributing to the decline of the species.”
One day I was with the team at the beach, while a poacher was taking eggs from another nest. Poachers are proud of what they do and this man showed us the 120 eggs he took with pride. We saw it as an opportunity to talk to him and explain why it would be better to work with us. That it would be better for him and the ocean. And it worked.
What are the main challenges and how do you deal with them?
It has several benefits for people from the area to become citizen scientists, but sometimes it also creates conflict. Some people feel like the turtle guardian, being part of their community, should be “on their side.” Many people live right next to the beach and feel that part of the beach, and the nests on it, belong to them.
By promoting continuous communication and explaining how coastal ecosystems and livelihoods are interconnected, community members better understand why it’s important to protect sea turtles and their eggs – not only for the sake of nature but also for them.
“To have a bigger impact, we need a holistic approach. Not only the coastal communities, but also the government and other stakeholders must be involved in the protection of sea turtles.”
The biggest challenge is dealing with the poachers. They still come to the beaches, despite the presence of turtle guardians. Former poachers know best how to talk to them, but unfortunately talking doesn’t always work. New poachers keep coming and some of them have a violent attitude towards the turtle guardians. Last year, one of them was threatened. In those cases, we have to alert the proper authorities to manage public safety.
Working closely with the community is extremely important. For example, part of the youth doesn’t go to school and spends a lot of time on the beach. They often become poachers. By talking to them from an early age, they can contribute to protecting nature and their environment instead.
But to have a bigger impact, we need a holistic approach. Not only the coastal communities, but also the government and other stakeholders must be involved in the protection of sea turtles and their nesting beaches. We need coastal and marine protected areas for turtles to reproduce safely.
Siti Norazliyana Ali, known as Yana, grew up in the coastal city of Malacca in Malaysia. The marine biologist leads the Malacca Hawksbill Conservation programme of WWF-Malaysia. She works closely with the coastal communities in the area – including former poachers – to protect hawksbill sea turtles.