This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 17, 2022 - October 23, 2022

Anyone who has visited the remote villages along Penarik beach in Setiu, Terengganu, would have been fascinated by the interesting habitat. On one side is the Setiu river and on the other, the South China Sea. 

Apart from its unique geography, Setiu is also known for being home to the largest population of batagur borneoensis (painted terrapin) in Malaysia. Painted terrapins can be found in Kuala Baru Utara and Kuala Baru Selatan of the Setiu Wetlands, which is one of the largest natural wetlands on the east coast. In 2018, 432ha — out of 23,000ha — were gazetted as a state park.

Interestingly, painted terrapins are freshwater turtles that live in rivers but hatch their eggs on beaches. They have a grey, flat shell and tortoise-like legs. A red line appears on the heads of male painted terrapins during mating season. 

The bad news, however, is that these creatures are now critically endangered. They are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, and are prohibited from being sold or kept as pets under Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

This signifies bigger trouble in the ecosystem, as painted terrapins serve as bio-indicators of the health of the environment. If the species is found to have gone extinct or moved away from an area, it can be assumed that the water quality or their food source is threatened.

“Let’s say in the next five years, we do not find any painted terrapins during our population survey, [it means] something bad has happened to the river. We have to check the river quality or for any human activity that has caused painted terrapins to disappear from the river,” says Muhammad Zaid Nasir, freshwater biologist at World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia).

According to research conducted by Hermann Schlegel and Salomon Müller in 1844, painted terrapins are commonly found in the Sunda region of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand to Borneo (Indonesia). Peninsular Malaysia is known to be one of the last strongholds for the species, according to the Turtle Conservation Society, with an estimated remaining total population of a few thousand.

In the early 2000s, painted terrapins were killed and exported for their meat and sold as pets. Now, unpredictable weather due to climate change is affecting the species’ survival.

“Another factor is the poaching of painted terrapin eggs for consumption. There are a lot of people who argue that eating painted terrapin eggs has been part of their tradition for generations. But there are legislations enforced by government authorities to control the collection and sale of painted terrapin eggs,” says Datin Daria Mathew Abdullah, freshwater lead at WWF-Malaysia.

Based on an investigation by WWF-Malaysia, painted terrapin eggs are sold on the black market across villages. One egg can cost RM10. If a poacher is caught and found guilty, a RM10,000 fine and a 20-year prison sentence await them. 

Zaid says the organisation is also concerned about the ongoing sand mining and water breaking activities where the painted terrapins nest. First, these activities that continue at night cause light pollution and disrupt the movement of painted terrapins, who come onshore to lay their eggs.

Secondly, extracting river sand and dumping it on the beach changes the texture of the sand, making it coarser. Based on research conducted by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, painted terrapins prefer to lay eggs on sand of a finer texture. Hence, this will deter painted terrapins from laying eggs at their usual location. 

“It worries us that we don’t know where they go to lay eggs because we focus on the beach areas (in Kuala Baru Utara and Kuala Baru Selatan) only. The [Setiu Wetlands] have a lot of islands. When painted terrapins relocate to another area, we may not be able to save the eggs. The eggs [may] end up in the hands of villagers or get eaten by monitor lizards,” says Zaid. 

Understanding that painted terrapins are adaptive creatures, WWF-Malaysia will have to introduce a new conservation strategy in light of these ongoing developments. “As development projects intensify within and in areas surrounding the river mouth adjacent to the nesting beaches, we will have to increase our capacity and monitor islands within the wetlands [for painted terrapins].”

The situation is severe. Even the villagers have noticed a gradual decrease in painted terrapins within Setiu. They claim that it used to be easy to spot six painted terrapins in one night, but nowadays it is hard to even spot three, says Zaid.

WWF-Malaysia has been implementing conservation activities at Setiu Wetlands, such as the population survey of painted terrapins, since 2016. To date, the organisation has tagged 70 painted terrapins and detected 82 nests, 869 eggs that have been buried and 759 hatchlings. They have also detected one case of mortality.

“While we have recorded 70 painted terrapins so far in the Setiu river, in our opinion, the data does not indicate the actual population. We need to continue our scientific assessments and population surveys to gather further information,” Daria acknowledges.

On Sept 14, WWF-Malaysia partnered with CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd to launch Kontena Tuntung to conserve painted terrapins. Located in Kampung Mangkok, it serves as a one-stop information centre and hatchery for the species. 

Kontena Tuntung is one of the channels to bring society and stakeholders closer to the mission to conserve painted terrapins, adds Daria.

Development does not always have to be done by compromising nature. WWF-Malaysia is open to consultations with town managers and industry players who want to strike a balance between development and conservation. For instance, it has provided its input on the conservation of the Setiu Wetlands. 

“We are involved in the Department of Town and Country Planning’s (PLANMalaysia) discussions on the local management plan for the Setiu district and structural plan for Terengganu,” says Daria. “One of the main inputs that we gave in relation to the conservation of painted terrapins is gazetting their nesting areas. As long as those areas are not gazetted, painted terrapins will be exposed to various threats.”

WWF-Malaysia is also one of the committee members of the Setiu Wetlands State Park management. They have suggested that the river corridors be protected. 

“It is important that changes in land use for Setiu’s development are done in a sustainable way to minimise negative impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystem of the Setiu Wetlands area,” says Daria.

To enhance its data collection on painted terrapins, Daria says WWF-Malaysia is looking into their diet and detecting their presence through environmental DNA sampling.

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