This post is written in support of PK Tan’s Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Awareness Campaign. It is really heartening to know that there are people who are concerned with the conservation status of the Malaysian wildlife.

We all know that Malaysia is one of the world’s mega-diverse countries. The diversity of vertebrates in the country includes about 300 species of wild mammals, 700 to 750 species of birds, 350 species of reptiles, 165 species of amphibians and more than 300 species of freshwater fishes. A conservative estimate places the number of species of invertebrates at more than 100,000. On the other hand, the flora of Malaysia is conservatively estimated to contain about 15,000 species of higher plants with over 1,100 species of ferns and fern allies, many of which are endemic (native to the country).

Image credit: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

However, the vast majority of species that have ever lived are now extinct. As dramatic as mass extinctions are, many species go extinct seemingly independent of one another. This background rate of extinction is roughly 1-2 species per year. An extinction at the species level may simply mean that one named form has evolved into another named form (its descendant) but when a family or other higher taxonomic lineage disappears, clearly something more is going on.

To this end, both the Malaysian government and non-governmental organizations are actively carrying out various conservation projects and activities in the hopes of slowing down the extinction rates of some of the critically-endangered species.

Image credit: Malaysia Travel Guide.

Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) has listed six endangered species to be given priority for in situ conservation. The six priority species are the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis), gaur (Bos gaurus), tiger (Panthera tigris), elephant (Elephas maximus), 6 species of pheasant and milky stork (Mycteria cinerea).

Turtle Aid Malaysia (TAMY) @ Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
Turtle research at UMT has developed into a multi-disciplinary program aimed at studying all aspects of the biology and ecology of sea turtles and river terrapins, threats to their survival, and how they can be managed in order to restore the various species to a stable population level. Besides carrying out conservation-oriented research on sea turtles and river terrapins, Turtle Aid Malaysia @ TAMY is also directly involved in education of university students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, village children, and the public at large on the conservation of the turtles.

WWF-Malaysia
WWF-Malaysia works with its partners, including local communities, towards the protection and management of six different species — the tiger, Borneo Pygmy elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros and orang utan in the forests and both the hawksbill and the green turtles in the seas and on the beaches.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is also carrying out various species conservation projects such as the following:

• Fins-Best on Sharks Campaign — with a goal to garner at least 100 Malaysian or Malaysian-based companies that have declared not to serve shark’s fin soup by the end of 2007.
• The Hornbill Project @ Belum Temenggor — it is hoped that the project will contribute towards understanding the ecology and biology of the globally threatened and near-threatened hornbills. It is also hoped that the knowledge gained through the project will help to improve protection for the hornbills and its habitat.
• The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) — to increase communication and opportunities for collaboration among the partners whose tiger conservation priorities include habitat protection, human-tiger conflict resolution, law enforcement, monitoring of illegal trade, research, education and public awareness.

References:

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• The Emergence of Complex Life @ University of Michigan
• Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
• Turtle Aid Malaysia (TAMY) @ Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
• WWF-Malaysia
• Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)

Shark’s fin soup was once a delicacy reserved for special occasions but a 2006 study conducted by Fisheries Scientist, Shelley Clarke indicates that up to 73 million sharks are now being killed annually to supply the fin trade!

Image credit: Great White Shark by jurvetson.

Now, did you know that:

1. the Great White Shark is the only shark which is able to lift its head above the surface of the water and look for prey?
2. the Great White Shark, which can be more than 6 metres long and weight more than 2 tonnes, only has a brain at the size of a thumb?
3. 30 species of sharks are known to have attacked humans?
4. the sense of smell of sharks is so important to sharks that two thirds of the brain is attached to the sense of smell?
5. a shark can detect blood in the water from farther away than the length of a football field?
6. sharks can feel vibrations in the water at a distance of 100m away?
7. 1% of the species of fish in the world are sharks?
8. sharks are colour blind, and they cannot swim backwards as other fish?
9. only about five to ten shark attacks a year is fatal?
10. more sharks are killed for their fins than humans in the traffic?
11. sharks never get sick, they are immune to all known diseases?
12. sharks can hear sounds in the water at a distance of several miles, but they cannot see more than 70 feet?
13. most of the big sharks have to move all the time, so they do not die of a lack of oxygen?
14. sharks do not have a skeleton of bone, but the “skeleton” of sharks is made of cartilage?
15. teeth of sharks break of and new ones appear? And that sharks can change 20,000 teeth through their life?
16. shark cartilage is used to create artificial skin for humans?

References:

• Malaysian Naturalist, Volume 60-2.
• A World of Sharks

Interesting reads:

• What do you know about sharks?
• 13 things you did not know about sharks

What else do YOU know about sharks? Tell all :D

We went to Setiu a couple of days ago to discuss with the head master of SK Mangkok regarding our up-coming 3rd Terrapin Independence Day. As usual, we fixed a date and we discussed the program for the day.

Terrapin Independence Day (TID) is a day when we release the river terrapins that we head-start on campus. The first TID was held on 31st August 2005 @ SK Mangkok, Setiu. More than 300 people attended the opening and release ceremony, including the teachers and students of SK Mangkok, local villagers and three bus loads of Buddhists from Selangor and Terengganu.

The second TID was held on 9 September 2006 @ SK Penarik, the other school which is a stone’s throw away from SK Mangkok. And this year, the third TID will be held on 8 September 2007 @ SK Mangkok once again — the release is held alternately in each school to avoid unnecessary conflicts between both schools.

But the meeting wasn’t so much the highlight of the day. In fact, the sand-mining operations which had recently begun on the very beach that the river terrapins were released for two consecutive years was. Apparently, the sand was mined to deepen the river so that bigger boats could use the river.

The villagers were not happy with the sand-mining operations because it would cause houses built near sand banks to collapse. Moreover, such big-scale sand-mining operations would affect the major terrapin nesting beach and the river terrapins would not return to lay eggs.

Prof Chan Eng Heng, who heads the Turtle Research and Rehabilitation Group in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, was also upset to hear of the sand mining operations.

She said river terrapins would never return to nest in the area if the banks were destroyed.

“If this continues, the river terrapin population will be greatly affected, and they will become extinct in less than 10 years,” added Prof Chan, who has been running a river terrapin recovery programme for Sungai Setiu since 2004.

- Source: Terrapins facing danger, The Star, 24 August 2007

So the press were alerted to highlight the issue in the papers in a bid to stop the authorities from damaging the nesting beach and further push the terrapins to the brink of extinction.

Related posts:

• Second Terrapin Independence Day a success
• Pictures of Terrapin Independence Day 2006