Placement: Perhentian turtle and reef awareness volunteer program

Our exclusive paradise bay

About the Placement

*Please note this project only runs from April 5th to October 10th*

Be part of our fledgling community-based turtle conservation and marine awareness program in the most beautiful bay in the Perhentian Islands, off mainland Malaysia. Green turtles are in dire need of our help especially in Terengganu, where 4 species of marine turtle nest but three of them, the hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Leatherbacks are almost locally extinct. The populations of green Turtles in the area have also decreased by 80% in little over 50 years, so we are desparately trying to prevent the Green Turtles going locally extinct as well.

2010 is year -1 (minus 1) for Help Our Penyu (Penyu means Turtle in the Malaysian Language) or HOPE which in 2011 will become the first marine turtle conservation NGO in Malaysia. Ecoteer is creating this new non-profit organisation and have joined forces with the local village, the local government, universiti Malaysia (Terengganu), Bubbles Dive Resort and Responsible Gap to create the first volunteer project site for HOPE.

Help Our Penyu (HOPE)

HOPE is the first ’in-house’ project started by Ecoteer. HOPE’s aim is to double the nesting sea turtle population in the State of Terengganu, Malaysia. HOPE will achieve its aim through Empowerment, Action and Research with an online community spreading awareness to the public of Malaysia. Volunteers will get involved in the ’Turtles need Trees’ primary school club, turtle watch and environmental education for tourists as well as collect data from the surrounding ecosystems. Join us and give HOPE that sea turtles in Terengganu can be saved!

Help Our Penyu (HOPE) will be the first independent (not formed by the government or university institutes) non-profit organisation focused on sea turtle conservation in Malaysia and has the sole aim of restoring sea turtle populations throughout Malaysia by empowering the people following the National Plan Of Action for the conservation of marine turtles of Malaysia.

Know Before You Go Guides: Perhentian Volunteer Program 2010

Management Plan: HOPE - project

Aim: to double the sea turtle nesting population in the state of Terengganu by 2060 through empowerment of the people of Malaysia.

Objectives:

EMPOWERMENT - Empowering the public first with knowledge then with the platform for them to get involved in sea turtle conservation utilizing their skills. It is only through EMPOWERMENT of the people will substantial changes happen.

ACTION - Direct conservation involving relevant stakeholders and the general public in protection of sea turtles through developing economic incentives with healthy sea turtle population numbers.

RESEARCH - Increase scientific knowledge about sea turtle populations and their ecosystems in the State of Terengganu and disperse this knowledge to relevant stakeholders and the general public.

Turtle season

Month...............March...April....May....June....July....August....September....October

Nesting.............low......med.....high...high....high....low

Hatchlings..........................................low.....med....high........high...............med

Costs

2 weeks - GBP649

3 weeks - GBP799

4 weeks - GBP989

The costs are high compared to other projects on Ecoteer but please see the breakdown below and you see how your fee is spent

3 weeks volunteering:

GBP450 - food, accommodation and boat transfers

GBP70 - insurance and legal costs in the UK

GBP 150 - given to HOPE for running costs

GBP 50 - marketing

GBP80 - Perhentian Village fund

One of the biggest differences is that HOPE’s partner Responsible Gap who administers the volunteer progamme in the UKand is registered in the UK provides insurance against cancellation and travel issues. Responsible Gap is covered by ABTA so when you volunteer with this project you know you are covered if something goes wrong which is the main reason for the extra cost compared to other projects on Ecoteer.

Role of Volunteer

You can join our project for a minimum of 2 weeks, up to as many weeks as you want. The project revolves around a two week schedule with volunteers staying on longer than two weeks having more responsibility and sharing your new found knowledge with the new volunteers and guests. The volunteer program starts on a Monday and in the first few days focuses on settling you down and teaching you about turtles and the forest. Then you get stuck into the Turtles need Trees Club (TnT club). On the Thursday afternoon we all go to the village to run the TnT Club at the local primary school and to stay in the village overnight, giving you an insight into the life of a villager in Perhentian, you may think differently about turtle egg poaching afterwards.

After that you start to settle into the normal routine and will be introduced to an Ecoteer initiative called Rubbish Reused, collect reef data and prepare to give daily presentations to the guests in your second week. Volunteers leave on the Sunday and the ones staying have a deserved day off.

In the second week the focus will be on you educating the guests by giving lunchtime daily talks about turtles, sharks, reefs or the forests and an evening environmental welcome talk to the new guests. Volunteers can also give guests coral watch, green fins survey training and water confidence lessons and take them on snorkel tours (after the inhouse rescue course has been completed) around the island or on jungle treks in the forest. The second week also includes a forest survey on either vegetation, small mammals, insects or reptiles/birds.

Volunteers staying for more than two weeks are expected to teach the new volunteers by giving them the talks about turtles, sharks, reefs and the forest. This is a great chance for volunteers to really learn as giving presentations is the best way to learn and is a big part of conservation - education.

The daily routine is as follows:-

09:00 Morning Chores - Volunteers not on turtle watch the night before:

- Rake and tidy the resort

- Beach clean

09:30 Free time for everyone - leisure diving if qualified

12:00 Malay language session

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Daily awareness talk - turtles, sharks, reef or forest

14:30 Water confidence, Coral watch or Green Fins survey- if

requested by tourists

16:30 Jungle trek - if requested by tourists

Evening chores - everyone

- River discharge

-Beach clean

- Water vegetable garden

- Recycling

- Garbage enzyme

19:30 Dinner

20:00 -03:00 Turtle Watch - on rota

20:30 Resort Briefing for new guests

03:00 -08:00 Poacher watch - on rota

Travel Information

All programs start on alternate Mondays.

DATES

April 5th full 19th

May 3rd 17th 31st

June 14th TnT T 28th

July 12th 26th

August 9th 23rd

Sep 6th TnT HR 20th TnT BC

October 4th 1 week only

Please note

If the normal TnT club is not running it is mentioned next to the date

TnT T Fieldtrip to the local hatchery and turtle viewing with children

TnT HR The village is celebrating the end of Ramadan so volunteers will go to celebrate with the villagers instead of running the TnT Club as the school is closed.

TnT BC The 19th September is international Beach clean so we are taking the school children to do a beach clean at one of the busy beaches.

COSTS

1 week (Malaysian RM950 Foreign RM1400)

2 weeks (Malaysian RM1700 Foreign GBP649)

3 weeks (Malaysian RM2500 Foreign GBP799)

4 weeks (Malaysian RM3300 Foreign GBP989 )

TRAVEL

Volunteers will be picked up from Kuala Besut and taken to the bay by boat.

The best way to get to Kuala Besut is via taxi from Kota Bahru (RM70) and takes roughly 1 hr. Kota Bahru is easy to get to from Kuala Lumpur via plane or bus. If you are coming from Thailand the train from Koh Samui passes through Kota Bahru.

Photo Gallery

Our exclusive paradise bay 

Leaf Monkey’s are found near our resort 

Female Green Turtles nest on our beach 

Help teach the children about marine issues 

Clean up the beach and reuse what you find