Alexander holds up the turtle eggs found at SNP recently.
BINTULU: It was an occasion to celebrate when Similajau National Park (SNP) warden Alexander Thomas and his team came across 128 turtle eggs in a nest at ‘Turtle Beach 2’ during a routine beach survey last Saturday.
According to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) records, the last recorded sighting of turtle eggs at SNP was in July 2010.
SFC regional manager Nizam Kaderi said the return of turtles to SNP was a manifestation of the success of the Biodiversity, Environmental and Conservation (Beacon) Project that was embarked on with MLNG Group of Companies two years ago
“Under the Beacon Project, we were hoping to protect marine wildlife, in particular turtles from trawlers. Over 1,500 reef balls sponsored by MLNG have been deployed off the coast of Similajau National Park since 2013.
“We expected positive results from this project but we were still pleasantly surprised on Saturday when we were informed by the park warden of the discovery of turtle eggs,” Nizam said.
When contacted at SFC’s corporate office, SFC Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation deputy general manager Oswald Braken Tisen said although SNP was one of the turtle nesting sites in Sarawak, the number of sites had been reduced due to the dangers of predators and other human activities in recent years.
“The reef balls deployed under the Beacon Project serve as passive enforcement that hinders trawlers from entering the park’s waters, thus providing a safe haven for the turtles.
“The nesting site found recently is proof of the effectiveness of the project,” he said.
Beacon is a corporate social responsibility project entailing an investment of about RM8 million to conserve, protect, regenerate and enhance marine biodiversity off Similajau National Park’s waters.