Save Malaysia’s Sea Turtles From Extinction

Target: Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Minister of Environment and Water in Malaysia

Goal: Protect vulnerable turtles from the verge of extinction.

The turtles in Malaysia are on the verge of extinction, with their status labeled as either endangered or critically endangered. The leatherback turtle population in Malaysia is almost entirely gone, with a ninety-nine percent decline since the ’60s, and the olive Ridley turtles have declined by more than ninety-five percent.

The olive Ridley turtle migrates thousands of kilometers around the Indian Ocean between its nesting and feeding sites with Gertak Sanggul as their essential landing site in the Malaysian state of Penang. This small and rarely sighted marine turtle is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The untouched beaches in Penang are vast, stretching out about 15 km along the south of the island with an abundance of marine life. But sand mining and a proposed land reclamation project in Malaysia threaten the nesting ground of the defenseless turtles and this hotspot of marine biodiversity.

The Penang South Reclamation project will ruthlessly destroy the marine biodiversity hotspot to create three artificial islands for the development of building complexes. This project is expected to produce 3.2 million tons of carbon emissions yearly. The lack of detailed information about this it is shocking, given its scale of 1,821 hectares. If realized, the project will threaten endangered turtle landings and the marine biodiversity on Pasir Panjang beach along with its frail coastal ecosystem.

Sign the petition below to stop sand mining and the Penang South Reclamation project from destroying the habitat of endangered turtles.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man,

The turtles in Malaysia are near extinction, with their status labeled as either endangered or critically endangered. Yet, your country permits sand mining and a proposed land reclamation project to destroy the nesting grounds of these precious animals and other marine biodiversity.

The Penang South Reclamation project will not only harm animals but also the environment, with an estimated production of 3.2 million tons of carbon emissions per year.

Already there are more than 45 Malaysian organizations fight the destruction of the coasts of Penang. I urge you to obey the pubic outcry against this land project and sand mining. Please save the fragile ecosystem and its inhabitants.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: William Warby


One Comment

  1. Paula Morgan says:

    Sand Mining? Killing off animals? Harming the environment with 3.2 million tons of carbon and all for your little piece of the world. Climate change is a world problem. It will destroy the small and the large among us. No longer is it your decision to make alone. What you do affects the entire world. Thus your actions hold you responsible and accountable. If all countries choose as you then we are all doomed. How would you feel if you were destroyed by another country’s selfishness? I would request you reconsider your decision to continue sand mining. Help, do not harm, the world.
    The world is watching.

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