source: pna.gov.ph
The Cherating Turtle Conservation Centre in Cherating, Pahang in Malaysia is in need of funds to upgrade the center and prevent turtle landings at the Cherating beach from decreasing.
Head of the Cherating Turtle Conservation Centre, Abdul Karim Mohd Sham, said the center was temporarily divided into three sections, namely the turtle observation pool, incubation center and turtle nesting area gazetted along 3.5km of the beach.
In efforts to improve the center, he said they proposed the construction of a special pedestrian walkway and rest area for visitors who wanted to watch turtles nesting.
"With the walkway and resthouse, people won't disturb the turtles and more female turtles will land when there is less disturbance," he told Bernama when met at the center recently.
Karim said the turtle observation pool's existing fencing also needed replacement to prevent visitors from being too close to the turtles.
He said when turtles are disturbed while nesting they usually fail to return to the beach.
However, insufficient funds resulted in the inability to execute the plans and could only cater to worker salaries and the center's daily expenses.
"A yearly allocation of RM200,000, including RM100,000 from the state government, is not enough. We are the only center that not only educates the public but also ensures that turtles are preserved.
"We hope that various quarters, especially the state government, will increase allocations for the center as it is now a tourist attraction in Pahang.
"Every year, more than 50,000 tourists including 10,000 foreigners visit the center to watch turtles nest and learn their habits," he said.
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