Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is not surprised to hear of the extinction of our leatherback turtles. In fact, some years ago SAM had anticipated and highlighted the matter. But it fell on deaf ears.

It is lamentable that warnings by SAM and environmentalists in the past went unheeded and that serious efforts were not taken to address the problem. Now that the damage has been done, there is no point crying over spilt milk.

Sea turtles act as our warning mechanism for the health of the ocean, and what they are telling us is quite alarming. Their plummeting numbers are symptomatic of the ocean as a whole.

Once a crowd puller drawing tourists by the thousands to Rantau Abang during their egg-laying period, this living fossil was subjected to all kinds of abuse from curious onlookers who turned the nesting site into a place for beach parties.

In addition to that is the prevalent slaughter in international waters for their meat, leather and shells, the stealing of eggs for local consumption and sale, loss of habitat, over-development of coastal areas reducing their nesting sites, marine pollution and fish bombing that destroy corals and vegetation which feed these turtles.

Another hazard to the turtles' survival is accidental capture with many turtles turning up dead in fishing nets. The modern techniques of mega-fishing vessels has taken a toll on their numbers.

Laws exist to protect turtles and their nesting sites under the Fisheries Act. Unfortunately, it is more of a managed exploitation effort aimed at saving the species while allowing human use of turtle eggs and egg collection by licenced collectors.

For a species that has survived evolution for over millions of years, the turtles have finally met their match in humans. Today their numbers have been decimated to a highly critical level that by the next millennium, what remains would be the stuffed variety. Humans have never treated these creatures with the respect they deserve. Evidence suggests that the number of people who realise the importance of turtle conservation are matched by an equal number who do not.

It should be borne in mind that Pulau Upeh, seven kilometers off Malacca, and home to the Hawksbill turtles, was promoted as a tourist attraction for turtle watching in the late 90s. First the state gazetted the island as a turtle sanctuary and secondly, it was promoted as an eco-tourism destination.

But such aspirations towards conservation was undermined by the very people entrusted with its management. This included abuse of the Fisheries Department's egg collection programme, unorthodox practices by licenced egg collectors and the people's blatant disregard for the turtles.

There is a lesson to be learnt, namely that if one plans on turtles to draw the revenue, then turtle conservation must be emphasised. The idea of promoting turtles needs to be re-examined by both the authorities and the eco-tourism industry. There must be some degree of environmental protection in the pursuit of eco-tourism designed to protect and conserve the turtles.

Every effort must be made to provide maximum protection for the turtles and their eggs if the turtles are to survive for generations to come.

The writer is president, Sahabat Alam Malaysia.