Prompted by the decline in turtle landings at resort beaches in Terengganu, UMT established its Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) in 1993 with a station at Chagar Hutang, Pulau Redang.
In the 1950s, resort beaches in the state, including Rantau Abang here, used to record up to 10,000 leatherback turtle landings. Rantau Abang was then crowded with thousands of visitors.
However, the tourist population declined along with the turtles, with less than 50 sightings reported in the early 1990s.
SEATRU chief researcher associate professor Dr Juanita Joseph said Pulau Redang recorded fewer than 500 nests with about 100 turtles landing when the project started.
“We bought green and hawksbill turtles’ eggs from licensed turtle egg collectors at RM120 per nest (to incubate them),” she said.
In 2005, the state government declared the Chagar Hutang, Mak Simpan and Mak Kepit beaches on Pulau Redang as turtle sanctuaries.
Collecting turtle eggs for sale was abolished, allowing all turtle eggs collected on the island to be incubated.
“Nesting data showed turtle landings on Pulau Redang had increased in 2010, 17 years after the research started,” she said when met by Bernama.
“More thrilling is that 1,000 turtle nests were recorded at Chagar Hutang for the first time, and 1,500 nests last year.”
Over two decades, UMT had protected more than 13,000 turtle nests and successfully released a million turtle hatchlings, she added.