To Ban or Not to Ban? Reviewing an Ongoing Dilemma on Sea Turtle Egg Trade in Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract

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.

Changing trends and perceptions of sea turtle egg consumption in Redang Island, Malaysia

“…The tender system generates revenue to the state government (Siow and Moll 1982) and resolves ownership conflicts between egg collectors (Liew 2011). Since the 1980s, high-density nesting beaches became fully protected over the years and thus no longer available for tender (Mohd Jani et al 2020).…”

“…The island is one of the most important sea turtle rookeries and tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. Turtle eggs have played a key role as a source of food and livelihood for decades (Mohd Jani et al 2020). There have been several conservation measures to address the overexploitation of turtle eggs in Redang Island (see Fig.…”

“…This was further supported by SEATRU (Sea Turtle Research Unit c/o Universiti Malaysia Terengganu), who also started paying for in-situ nests at Chagar Hutang Beach in 1993 (Chan 2013). Subsequently, Mak Kepit Beach was removed from the tender list in 1998 because it was more cost effective to hire rangers than to buy back eggs (Mohd Jani et al 2020). In 2005, the tender system was fully abolished for all beaches on Redang Island.…”

“…Their eggs are used as food, traditional medicine, and traded commodities (Delgado andNichols 2005, Sardeshpande andMacMillan 2019). With increased demand from the wildlife trade industry, traditional harvesting of turtle eggs for subsistence has largely evolved into income-driven commercial exploitation in many parts of the world (Mancini and Koch 2009, Garland and Carthy 2010, Mohd Jani et al 2020. More recently, sea turtles are recognized for their non-consumptive values as flagship species for conservation and symbols for commercial purposes such as tourism (Waylen et al 2009, Godley et al 2020.…”

Forensic genetic case study: Species identification and traceability of sea turtle caught in illegal trade in Bali, Indonesia

“…Several studies have been done to understand the biological and ecological properties of sea turtle (Casale et al 2010;Fuentes et al 2011;Wyneken et al 2013;Wiadnyana and Nastiti 2015). Another study used scientific tools to investigate the legal situation of confiscated sea turtle and or its derivate products (Alacs et al 2010;Foran and Ray 2016;Mohd Jani et al 2020). One of the forensic questions that genetic tools can address is identifying the species being traded and assessing its traceability (Bylemans et al 2016;Roden et al 2017).…”