Let's Protect! Let's Conserve!

 “Melaka has turtles? For real?” is a common response when Melaka and turtles are mentioned together in a sentence. And yes, we, the Sea Army, students from Advanced Diploma in Mass Communication (Public Relations) Year 1 are honoured to get support from Nokia Sustainability Division (SEAP) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Malaysia) to save the turtles in Melaka.

Did you know that only 1 in 10,000 turtle hatchlings make it to become adults? Why actually causes the turtles are now at risk? The causes are as follows: -

• Human harvesting of turtles and their eggs.
• Destruction of habitats.
• Accidental caught by fishing nets.
• Water pollution caused by oil spill and waste disposal.
• Illegal sale and consumption of turtle eggs.

Source: WWF-Malaysia Quarterly Magazine 2012,Issue 3, p.9

The turtle eggs being stolen by the human.

Turtles and their eggs are homeless due to the construction work.

The turtle was accidentally caught into the net.

The heartless people do not dispose of the plastic bag carefully and this causes turtle accidentally eating plastic bag instead of jelly fish.

Some of the turtle eggs illegally being sold at Pasar Besar Kedai Payang in Kuala Terengganu.

In the latest study of Nokia (2012), there is only 9% of people recycled their old phones. Why phone recycling is important? First, phone can endanger sea turtles by the mercury of the phone and also the phone batteries as the acid leaches not only into the soil but also goes into the ground water. Second, the phone materials can be recovered and transformed into new products such as plastic fence posts, gold rings and aluminium cans. Apart from that, recycling old phone can help to reduce pollution and also to generate energy. 

What is the first thing that you can think of once talking about turtle? Sea? Endangered? It should be Malaysia. It is because turtle is Malaysia’s national icon. You can notice that the sea turtles are on the reversed side of the new  4^th series RM20 banknote.

The two well-known species of sea turtles, Hawksbill Turtle and Leatherback Turtle were chosen to represent Malaysia’s rich and colourful marine life. It is also a reminder from government so that Malaysians could make some effort in conserving marine life.

Turtles- Penyu are our friends, why we should harm them? Come and join us to accomplish this green mission together! You just have to: -

• Bring your unwanted phone(s) for recycling during our 3 days-campaign  (10^th to 12^th July 2013, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, TARUC College Ha­­­ll)
• Play (station games and first real-life experience Angry Turtles), visit and learn (exhibition about phone recycling and the importance of conserving the turtles)  in our campaign.
• Pleging not to consume turtles parts or eggs.

Let’s start conserving turtles and balancing the healthy marine ecosystem today!

Turtles need your old phone(s) to bring them home! 

A Phone Recycled, A Future for Turtle.

You may find out more about saving turtle mission on our  Connect to Conserve official Facebook page.

Posted by:

Jennifer Chin Sook Yee