A Sanctuary For Turtles Amid Johor’s Blue Waters

By Atira Khalisha Nor Adnan

MERSING, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- The turtle population in Malaysian waters is steadily declining, posing a grave threat to one of the world’s oldest surviving marine species.

 In a bid to protect and sustain these endangered creatures, a range of conservation efforts has been set in motion — including on Pulau Tengah, a secluded island about 30 minutes by boat from the Mersing Jetty.

Here, amid turquoise waters and coral reefs, Batu-Batu Resort leads the charge through the Tunku Abdul Jalil Conservation Centre (TAJCC), dedicated to safeguarding Malaysia’s marine heritage for generations to come. 

The island serves as a major nesting site for two of Malaysia’s most important turtle species — the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle — making it one of the most significant nesting habitats in Johor waters.

pic-2

Interestingly, the island also features a preserved turtle skeleton exhibit, serving as a symbolic reminder of the importance of protecting and conserving the nation’s invaluable marine treasures.

Junior Conservation Officer at Pulau Tengah Conservation, Cheng Si Va Sanggara, said the nesting season usually begins in April and lasts until September, when dozens of female turtles return to the beaches to lay their eggs.

“Each female turtle can produce between 60 to 120 eggs per season, and they will return to the same beach several times during that period,” he told reporters when met at the TAJCC recently.

pic-3

Cheng, fondly known as Siva, said each turtle may return to nest up to eight times a season, with an interval of about 10 to 14 days between each new batch of eggs.

“Typically, a turtle that lays eggs this week will come back in 10 to 14 days to lay the next batch. During this period, we monitor closely to see if the same turtle returns to the shore,” he said.

He added that every turtle has its own unique identity, allowing it to be recognised when it returns to the same nesting beach.

“The facial scale patterns on each turtle are different — just like human fingerprints — helping our conservation team identify individuals previously recorded,” he said.

pic-4

He explained that each nesting mother turtle is identified using two methods: first, by attaching a small metal tag with a unique serial number issued by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, and second, by photographing the side of its face. The scale patterns, as distinctive as human fingerprints, are then matched against their database to identify returning mothers from previous nesting seasons.

Siva said their conservation efforts extend beyond turtle protection to encompass coral reefs, seagrass   meadows and the surrounding island community. This holistic approach eventually inspired them to establish Tengah Island Conservation as a registered NGO in 2019, expanding their mission to a broader environmental scope.

“Our main focus is on habitat and species monitoring and protection, especially around Tengah Island,” he added, noting that this includes extensive coral reef monitoring.

“We use the Reef Check Survey method not only on this island but also on seven nearby islands — including Hujung, Harimau, Gual, Mensirip, and Rawa. We also conduct seagrass monitoring for dugongs, which we recently spotted last month,” he said.

pic-5

As one of Johor’s main ecotourism attractions in conjunction with Visit Johor Year 2026, the island offers not just species and habitat monitoring but also educational programmes for tourists and school students about marine ecosystems.

“We go to different schools to educate young people on sustainable tourism, species protection, and habitat preservation. Our goal is to inspire the youth to take this knowledge home and share it with their families,” he added.

-- BERNAMA