Legal trade in sea turtles and their eggs remains a reality in many countries where conservation of this marine endangered species does exist. This duality is a conflict to some who appeal for a total trade ban, which may have implications on local livelihoods. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), this paper considers the dilemma by empirically examining the context of the state's legislation, particularly the Terengganu Turtle Enactment (TTE) and its "haves" -what is legally provided on paper, the available capitals in hand, and the actual implementation carried out in practice -to elucidate whether a trade ban is indeed the immediate solution for improving sea turtle conservation in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia, which is an important rookery in Southeast Asia. Findings based on data collected through extensive archival research and in-depth interviews with officers of the state who manage sea turtles as well as those whose past and current livelihoods depend on the trade indicate that (1) sea turtles are a transformative natural capital that the Terengganu legislation supports on paper via a pro-conservation concession system; (2) in putting paper into practice, those involved in its implementation have strategically mobilized available resources to achieve a balanced outcome between conservation and livelihood; and(3) institutional absenteeism, financial handicap, and ambiguous legal protection status of nesting beaches are issues that need addressing to fulfill the true potential of this legislation. However, a better conservation outcome is administratively possible via a full conservation-concession system that lists all beaches under the TTE to ensure the sustainability of sea turtles and local livelihoods, in preparation for the ultimate longterm goal: total conservation via a trade ban without which conservation of the species remains precarious not only at state but also at national and regional levels.

Sea turtles have been exploited at unsustainable rates globally. In Malaysia, their populations have faced serious declines because of diverse anthropogenic stressors including turtle egg consumption. Redang Island, off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is an important rookery for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Southeast Asia. The local community has depended on turtle eggs as a food and livelihood source for decades. Owing to the precipitous decline in sea turtles, the main nesting beaches became legally protected in 2007. Some turtle egg consumption continues despite the protection measures and long-term awareness raising. In our study, we assess the prevalence, motivations, demographic factors, and perceptions influencing turtle egg consumption and conservation. Through semi-structured interviews, we surveyed 73 respondents in Redang village. The interviews show that turtle egg consumption has decreased since the initiation of protection measures, making the eggs expensive and difficult to access. Using binary logistic regression, we found that the respondents' education level and occupation were significant predictors. Education level was negatively correlated with age. People with higher levels of education (younger people) were less likely to eat turtle eggs, possibly on account of changing cultural beliefs and taste preferences, as well as increasing awareness. Those working in the tourism industry were less likely to consume eggs. The growth in tourism has served as an alternative to livelihoods that were dependent on the consumptive use of natural resources such as fishing and turtle egg collection. Further, tourism has catalyzed a shift from consumptive to nonconsumptive uses of sea turtles. Many locals perceived the protection of beaches as important, without which they claimed that turtle populations would go extinct. This research shows that addressing sea turtle conservation requires a multi-targeted approach of regulating sea turtle egg collection, providing economic alternatives such as tourism and long-term awareness raising.

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The Setiu Wetlands, a unique area with nine interconnected habitats, comprises a considerable fraction of the total Peninsular Malaysia’s wetland flora. Although botanical collecting in the area has been active in the past 10 years, only a few studies dealing with the wetland flora have been published. Thus, a detailed checklist of this area is urgently needed to ensure the continuity of its inter-relating flora and fauna, as well as the livelihood of the local people. In this work we conducted a survey of the vascular plant flora of Setiu Wetlands and investigated the most important plants used by the local communities. Our checklist accounts for 406 taxa from 277 genera and 106 families, including 24 (6%) species of ferns and lycophytes, three gymnosperms, 257 (64%) dicotyledons and 122 (30%) monocotyledons. This comprehensive plant checklist will be a primary reference for the management of the newly gazetted Setiu Wetlands State Park covering more than 400 hectares of lands and water bodies.

Investing in natural cosmetics contributes to the sustainability of natural resources in two ways -the emission of less harmful by-products, and the conservation of ecosystems through sustainable harvesting of resources. Therefore, studying students' (millennials') behaviour and attitude towards these products may help improve awarenessraising approaches on their benefits for local market acceptance. A study was conducted in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Malaysia with the aim to understand the current perception and habits of UMT students towards natural cosmetics and their readiness to convert to natural cosmetics. 521 responses were collected through an online survey that focused on three themes: Stage of Change, Decisional Balance Inventory, and Product Knowledge and Perception. The study found that most of the respondents (79%) claim to be using natural cosmetics, while only nine percent are not considering at all. Eighty-six percent of those users practice label reading habits although most respondents could not distinguish natural cosmetics from synthetic ones if solely based on personal knowledge and appearance of product. This proves that product design does influence customers' purchasing behaviours. Moreover, results indicate that existing natural cosmetic users are quite likely to maintain the habit, while others are still indecisive. Meanwhile, label reading habits are quite likely to be maintained by many respondents. Hence, based on results, businesses should acknowledge that there is a demand in natural cosmetics among Malaysian millennials, and should increase their promotional activities, improve product design and affordability in order to grab consumers' attention to switch from synthetic to natural cosmetics.