TURTLES! Our Treasure
In line with Volvo’s continuous efforts and concern for preservation of the environment, Volvo Owners Club of Malaysia (VOCM) has begun an initiative to raise funds for the Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary by organizing a charity motoring treasure hunt that will take place on October 2, 2004.
This treasure hunt will be open to Volvo car owners and will take participants from Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands. Apart from funds that will be raised through participants’ fees, we are also appealing to generous donors to join in the cause and help us raise funds for the future of sea turtles in Malaysia.
Companies that wish to support this event can contact Zul at dzul@vocm.com.my.
VOLVO Car Owners who would like to participate, details will be as follows:
Date: 2nd October 2004
Fees: Adult RM200/pax
Children RM90/pax (aged 5 to 12)
— 2 pax min per car
Fee includes one breakfast and one night’s stay and a prize giving dinner
Please direct all inquiries and entry forms to:
a. VOCM – 012-2150-117 / 019-2781-370 / 017-8867-783 or e-mail info@vocm.com.my / sazali@vocm.com.my
b. Streamline Communication @ tel: 2095-9375 and fax 2092-3641.
d. StreetClub cafe Bandar Utama, PJ 03-7710 0255 or visit www.streetformula.net
e. Impressive Motorworks Puchong, KL 03-5891-1773
f. Swedish Marque, Sg Besi
Payment can be made via cheque (payable to “VOCM Management”) or by cash or credit card.
Brief about Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary.
Marine turtles have been in existence since the era of Dinosaurs. From over 30 species however, only seven species currently survive. In Malaysia, four of the seven still return to nest although the numbers of each species is rapidly on the decline.
Of those that do return, the generation of young is steadily dropping. Species like the Giant Leatherbacks have had less than a handful of annual landings making them almost extinct. While it looks hopeless, there is hope yet!
BP Petronas Acetyls (BPPA), together with the Department of Fisheries and WWF Malaysia have begun efforts to protect these endangered species, having established and now operating the Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary.
The objectives of Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary focus on better protection for turtle eggs, better conservation awareness among community members and stronger relationships among researchers and administrators and it has paid dividends.
In year 2001, the Sanctuary achieved the best hatch rate (91%) in the country. The Sanctuary is an exceptional example of the private sector working with the government, NGOs and the community to promote conservation, education and active community involvement.
To maintain the programme at Ma’Daerah, a number of initiatives are in place to capture the interest and develop additional revenue from various parties. Among the activites are Adopt-a Nest Programme, Adopt-a Turtle Programme, Public Programme and independent fund raising projects.
One of the key findings of Ma’Daerah is that the exceptionally high temperatures of the beaches in the main landing sites are creating too many female hatchlings and not enough males. This will be cause for concern in the future as there will not be enough males to fertilise the eggs.
