08 Mar Coral Triangle Women Leaders: Protecting Green Turtles in Pulau Terrenganu

Throughout the world, green turtle population have experienced significant declines over the past 100 years, especially due to habitat degradation. Nesting sites remain highly exposed to several threats such egg poaching, marine pollution and the negative impacts of tourism. Despite many turtle nesting sites in Redang Island (Terengganu, East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia), only four have been gazetted as a turtle sanctuary (Pulau Pinang, Pantai Chagar Hutang, Pantai Mak Kepit and Pantai Mak Simpan). To help turtle populations recover one of one of the un-gazetted nesting sites should become a sanctuary for green turtles.

Women Leaders in Malaysia Are Taking Action!

In Malaysia, women leaders who are part of the CTI-CFF Women Leaders’ Forum Intergenerational Learning Program will approach the challenge to protect green turtle nesting sites and increase green turtle populations in Pulau Terrenganu in Malaysia.

Associate Prof. Dr. Siti Aisyah Binti Hj Alias is the Deputy Director, National Antarctic Research Centre, Institute Graduate Studies, with a PhD in Marine Mycology. Currently she led pole to pole studies on “Response and Adaptation of Microbes to Atmospheric Changes”, a project under Higher Institute of Centre of Excellence grant, at the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya. Actively she is involved in various scientific marine expeditions at the national level and polar expeditions within the Antarctic and Arctic. She has over 90 publications in the form of books, chapters of books and articles in academic journals

As a mentor in the  Inter-generational Learning Program, Dr. Siti believes the program will serve as a platform for female leaders to come together for networking and discussions on some of the pertinent issues on women’s involvement in research and policy-making such as gender-bias. She hopes to gain new perspectives on leadership from newer generations and trade her wisdom and career experience in the field with the enthusiasm, knowledge and ideas on research from up and coming women leaders. Dr. Siti sees this as a chance to inspire change in how things are done through an exchange of new and bright ideas between seniors and early-career women.

Dr. Nurul Huda Ahmad Ishak is Senior Lecturer at the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Research Associate at Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. She has a Doctor of Philosophy (Biological Sciences) and has published and presented various ecological studies. She is actively participated in several scientific cruise expeditions at the national level within Kelantan and Terengganu Waters.

Nurul as the mentee, hopes to better understand the importance of implemented research, activities and programs and establish herself as the next generation of marine conservationists. She believes she will be more proactive after engaging in a mentor/mentee relationship after increasing her knowledge, skills and competence. She plans to demonstrate and develop her initiative professionally and personally. Nurul wants to be able to identify and foster the right leadership qualities in herself and at the same time inspire other women leaders.

The CTI-CFF Women Leaders Forum Intergenerational Learning Program is being implemented by the US Department of the Interior and the Coral Triangle in Center, in collaboration with CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat and CTI-CFF National Coordinating Committees and funded by USAID.