Malacca seeks special allocation to mobilise turtle conservation centre

ALOR GAJAH: The Malacca State Government is appealing for a special allocation from the federal government in the 2018 Budget to mobilise the Malacca Turtle Conservation and Information Centre in Padang Kemunting here in a more active and planned manner.
State Exco for Agriculture and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Hasan Abdul Rahman said the allocation was necessary to ensure that the centre, which became the focus for the Hawksbill Turtle to land in the state, could be monitored more closely and consistently so that the safety of the endangered species could be ensured and their eggs did not disappear.
He said landings by the Hawksbill Turtles in Malacca was the highest in Peninsular Malaysia and the state was one of the most important landing sites for the Hawksbill Turtles in Southeast Asia.
"The Turtle Conservation and Information Centre in Padang Kemunting is the only one in Malacca and is now the location for the Hawksbill Turtles to land after most of the coastal areas in the state had been affected by land reclamation activities and changed the marine ecosystem.
"The special allocation would be utilised to create a permanent structure or permanent job to be located at the centre all the time and will not depend on the staff of the State Fisheries Department,"he told reporters after launching the Baby Turtle Release Programme here last night. — Bernama