Help the oceans, help Juara Turtle Project

Juara Turtle Project (JTP) is a conservation NGO located in Juara (Tioman Island), on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It has been working on the sea turtle conservation for more than 10 years, with more than 200 volunteers, school groups and university students from all over the world coming every year to increase our conservation efforts. There are several human threats affecting globally the sea turtle populations; in Tioman Island we can highlight illegal egg collection, overfishing and beach development as the most important threats.

Over time, JTP has been diversifying its working areas, including a recycling program, a coral rehabilitation project and building an Animal Welfare shelter to control the stray population of cats and dogs in Juara. Right now, JTP is working in:

1. SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION

• Beach and boat patrols. Different nesting beaches are surveyed from March until October to collect the eggs and relocate them into a turtle hatchery.
• Egg protection and hatchlings release. JTP lets the hatchlings go to the ocean immediately after hatchling.
• Sea turtle Photo-ID program. To estimate the number of juvenile sea turtles that use Tioman Island as a feeding ground and establish hotspots in order to get more protection.

2. CORAL REHABILITATION

• Rehabilitation of damaged reefs. JTP is using concrete blocks in damaged areas to establish a new substrate where coral fragments can grow.
• Fish data.
• Coral Reef surveys.

3. RECYCLING PROGRAM

• Collection of recycling items (plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, cardboard) from local restaurants, dive centers and resorts.
• Beach and coastal clean-ups

4. JUARA ANIMAL WELFARE

• Stray cat population under control
• Medical care is provided when is needed
• Neutering programs
• Information about the impacts of having cat overpopulation in the island

It cost approximately RM100,000 to build Juara Animal Welfare and a further RM50,000 annually to cover the maintenance costs, food, medical supplies and treatments, neutering programs and staff salary. With appropriate funding the Juara Animal Welfare can grow to accommodate more stray animals and grow its volunteer base to have a greater impact on the island.

WHY DO WE NEED FUNDING?

As these additional programs (Coral Rehabilitation, Recycling Program and the Juara Animal Welfare) continue to grow and develop there is a concern that JTP may not be able to afford the maintenance and continuity of them without sufficient funding.

As a NGO, we do not receive any funding from Government Institutions, and therefore we rely heavily on funding from our volunteer sea turtle program, single donations and outdoor education programs. We are reaching out to those that are willing to help in any way so that all this hard work does not go to waste. Could you help make a difference?

WHERE IS YOUR MONEY GOING?