“It’s kind of cute,” remarks Meor Razak Meor Abd Rahman, a field officer for the non-profit Sahabat Alam Malaysia. Moments later, the southern river terrapin, colloquially named “tuntung sungai” (batagur affinis), flips out of his hand and splashes into the teen terrapin pool.

The little creature’s attempt at freedom elicits laughter from visitors at the River Terrapin Conservation Centre in Bota Kanan, Perak. The guide assures them that the intrepid young terrapin is safe as it explores the pool, which houses slightly older terrapins.

River terrapins are not fond of humans or loud noises. In the adults’ pool, located in a roofed shed within the centre’s 6.3ha compound, full-grown ones huddle in a corner, trying to escape the visitors. Measuring about 30cm from head to tail and dark grey in colour, they practically climb over one another to avoid human contact.

Their shy nature, combined with the destruction of their habitat and nesting sites on riverbanks via human and economic activities like sand mining, has resulted in the near extinction of species in the wild. These freshwater terrapins are now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

No sand, no terrapins

“Sand mining has wiped out the sandbars and banks along the Perak River. That’s what concerns us. Where will the terrapins land to lay their eggs?” Meor Razak said.

River terrapins are already extinct in the wild in Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore – and experts caution that Perak may soon follow if more efforts are not made to protect them.

Around 100 river terrapins of various ages and sizes are housed at the conservation centre, either being bred or raised as hatchlings to be released into the wild after a few years. The centre has a fenced-off sandbank by the river, where the terrapins are released.

Conservationists hope that once they are mature – over a decade after their release – the terrapins will return to this site to nest.

While the centre helps preserve the species, experts argue that such facilities should be a last resort. Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia president Maketab Mohamed likened the centre to “a zoo”, warning that river terrapins could become locally extinct if nothing is done to protect them in the wild.

“There used to be a lot of terrapins in the Perak River. Now, because of sand removal, there is no place for them to lay eggs. When they come ashore to lay eggs but find no nesting sites, they return to the river. This leads to extinction,” he said.

Furthermore, river terrapins are far less fertile than their sea turtle cousins. While sea turtles lay an average of 110 eggs two to eight times per season, river terrapins only lay about 25-30 eggs per season.

Bernama reached out to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) for more information on terrapin conservation efforts but has not received a response as of press time.

Terrapins vs the economy

With river sand mining, a backhoe is placed at the water’s edge to scoop sand from the river, often in areas meant to act as buffer zones. These, unfortunately, are also where river terrapins nest.

The mounds of sand created on the riverbanks and the loss of vegetation discourage terrapins, while mining activities increase water turbidity and remove vital organisms from the riverbed, harming the overall health of the ecosystem.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, sand is the most mined material in the world, with about 50 billion metric tonnes extracted annually. A 2022 UN report found that this activity is increasing globally at an “unsustainable”rate of 6%. Additionally, many sand-mining projects worldwide are illegal.

In Perak, most river sand-mining activities are licensed. Environmentalists have criticised the state government for approving too many projects in the past – a claim the government denies.

Perak science, environment, and green technology committee chairman Teh Kok Lim told Bernama that all approved sand-mining projects in the state have met the requirements set by the environment ministry and other regulatory bodies.

“Many of these projects are initiated to deepen the river. When the project is approved, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is required. For most projects, the EIA is mandatory – even with small-scale mining,” he said.

According to Teh, everyone benefits when the process is handled properly: the state profits from sand sales, locals gain employment, and flood mitigation is achieved. But to Maketab, who is also a water-quality expert, flood mitigation is “just an excuse”.

“If you want to dredge a river, you do it at certain times and stop once the work is done,” he countered. “But this is a continuous removal of sand.”

Many experts agree that enforcing or utilising existing laws would be more effective than introducing new ones.

In addition to the EIA, Perak’s River Right Act of 1915, the country’s oldest conservation law, helps protect river terrapins by regulating the consumption of terrapin eggs – a local delicacy – and conserving eggs along the Perak River. But this law, regulated by Perhilitan, does not establish specific conservation areas.

Meanwhile, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 enables both state and federal authorities to designate wildlife sanctuaries or reserves. However, according to Meor Razak, there are no officially protected nesting sites for the river terrapin, apart from the one at the conservation centre.

Both Meor and Hafizudin Nasarudin, chair of the Friends of Nature Activist Group supreme council, agree it is best to enforce current laws and regulations pertaining to the river terrapin’s habitat, such as river buffer zones.

Hafizudin believes that while conservation efforts at the centre are laudable, they should not be the only solution.

“A hatchery is pointless if the sandy banks the terrapins need to nest are disappearing. The ultimate solution is to restore the riverbank,” he stressed. “Over time, the depth of the river will naturally increase.”