"THE eggs should be in the sand. Not the pan…."
The reminder, uttered ever so softly on a still night bathed in an ethereal glow by the full moon, caresses my ears as I make my way slowly past the gaily painted signage that reads Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery.
"It's been a while, Pak Su," I mutter to myself, as it dawns on me that it has been more than a year since I last set foot at the Hatchery — and almost two years to Ariffin Hassan a.k.a. Pak Su Cherating's passing.
The guardian of Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery, a private hatchery located along the sweeping beachfront of Pantai Chendor, Pahang, who's also known by the moniker of Turtle Warrior for his tireless work in turtle conservation, passed away in November 2018.
Since then, his legacy has been continued by his children — Farina Ashrin (Along), Farisa Azira (Angah) and Fadhil Izzuddin (Alang).
A child's gleeful shriek coming from the direction of the beach startles me, causing the blanket of melancholy that had threatened to envelop me on this beautiful sunny morning to slowly slide off.
"Now, where is he?" I silently wonder, eyes scanning intently for the sight of Pak Su's lanky son, Alang, who had invited me to witness the Hatchery's Wave Breaker 2.0 programme.
Organised by Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery, and supported by The Kasturi, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Pahang and Fuze Ecoteer, it's a gotong royong of sorts, participated by volunteers and friends (of the Hatchery) to construct wave breakers from scrap tyres to prevent further erosion on this stretch of beach.
Under a specially-erected canopy, I spy trays of food laid out for the afternoon's lunch. But there's not a soul tucking into the fare.
Instead, they're all down by the beach, sweating profusely under the hot sun, as they wheel tyre after tyre and place them in a row.
Some are engrossed in tying the tyres together using sturdy ropes.
From the sea of glistening faces, I spot Pak Su's handsome son, Fadhil, stylish shades covering his eyes, monitoring a group of girls clad in an all-black ensemble — interns of the Hatchery — lacing some of the tyres together.
"Fadhil!" I holler, before making a beeline for the beach to join everyone.
UNDER THREAT
"We've never faced such a huge erosion problem like this before," begins Fadhil, as we stroll along the beach, admiring the "handiwork" of the last two days from afar.
The tyres, securely bound and lying in neat rows on the silky soft white sand, some already overflowing with trapped sand, look strangely out of place in this idyllic setting.
"It's our humble effort to contain the elements," adds the genial 27-year-old as if sensing my sceptical thoughts.
"We can't afford to build those expensive stone walls. Constructing barriers using used tyres is the cheapest way for us to manage the problem of those destructive waves that cause coastal erosion."
Normally the strong erosion would occur towards the end of the year, around November and December, he shares.
They were therefore hugely surprised when it came a lot earlier.
"January was bad and it got worse during the Chinese New Year period," elaborates Fadhil.
Pointing in the direction of what looks like a small stream in the distance, he adds: You see where that tree is? Now that used to be where the old tributary was. But the strong waves have sent the sand all the way there."
Every day when the tide came in, a little bit more of the beach and ledge close to the hatchery would be chipped away, shares Fadhil.
He adds softly: "It has become a race against time. If we don't do anything now, by the time the monsoon arrives at the end of the year, the erosion may reach the hatchery and wash away the eggs."
A lot of money has been spent by the team at Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery on buying the eggs. If the eggs can't be hatched, then the hatchlings will not be able to be released into the sea.
It's therefore imperative that the hatchery can still be where it is, until at least the hatchling release season is over.
There are more than 240 nests in the hatchery at the moment.
According to Fadhil, they can't just move the nests whenever they want in the face of the impending threat. But they can do something to make it tough for the "enemy" to attack.
"That's why we decided to create these simple — but effective — wave breakers," he says.
INNOVATIVE AND COST-EFFECTIVE
Shoreline erosion has been the bane of those who build along — or near — the coast, and even around sheltered waters.
It's not cheap to build the kind of structures that have been proven to be effective in mitigating shoreline erosion, such as rock revetments, which serve to dissipate the energy of storm waves and prevent further recession of the backshore.
Squinting in the direction of a beautiful resort just across from where we're standing, Fadhil brings my attention to what appears to be a rocky wall of sorts.
"See that 'seawall' over there comprising rocky boulders?" I squint harder and nod. "Well, that probably costs millions to construct. You can do that if you can afford it!"
Is it effective though, I couldn't help blurting out.
Fadhil purses his lips as he ponders the question. Looking thoughtful, he eventually answers: "Well, because of the persistent natural forces, these walls definitely need to be maintained for them to be effective. Over time, they may need to be replaced if they no longer work as well."
And what of environmental issues? I persist in my probe. "Is it true that seawalls actually accelerate the erosion of adjacent, unprotected coastal areas because they affect the littoral — or longshore — drift process?" I ask, recalling something I'd read prior to coming here.
Again Pak Su's son pauses to reflect. "Maybe, eventually," he replies, somewhat diplomatically.
Shore-protection structure using scrap tyres is, as Fadhil reiterates, the most affordable means, considering that the Hatchery simply doesn't have the budget for anything more sophisticated.
After all, the Hatchery exists and has been able to run, thanks to kind donations from visitors, friends and also from the family's own pocket, he adds.
"We've never done anything like this because we've never faced such a serious erosion problem before. Do you know that the waves came with such force that the impact was felt all the way up to the interns' housing up there? It was like missiles!" exclaims Fadhil, pointing to the modest structure above us where the Hatchery's interns are housed.
The idea for using scrap tyres came out of the blue, admits Fadhil. He had gone to visit several jetties to see what they'd put in place to combat the erosion problem.
After reflecting on what could be done on the tightest of budgets, he decided that used tyres could be the answer.
"I've seen something like this done along rivers. But for the beach, I'm not sure," muses Fadhil, adding: "I recall seeing tyres floating in the water. During low tide, the tyres would just remain in place but there'd be a lot of sand trapped inside. Some even had mangroves growing out of them. That made me think that perhaps I could adapt it for our Hatchery."
A SUCCESSFUL OUTING
The waves gently lap around us as we observe a group of volunteers wheeling more tyres onto the beach.
Continues Fadhil: "I knew we could get the tyres. After all, they're discarded stuff. I just needed to get a lorry, collect all the tyres and bring them here. Bayar duit kopi jer (just pay a small fee). The costliest thing would be the ropes. I also knew we'd need a lot of manpower to help us do this. It's definitely laborious work."
The cost of the rope is calculated based on weight. Fadhil shares that they have used more than 120kg of ropes already.
"For the first programme, the Wave Breaker 1.0, we spent RM1,172 on the ropes alone. This time, for the Wave Breaker 2.0 programme, we have spent more than RM5,000!"
As to the effectiveness of the method, the 27-year-old concedes that nothing is fool-proof, reiterating once again the need to find the cheapest method.
"The binding may not be too uniformed and may even come loose at some point. But we do what we can. I'd briefed all our volunteers on how to arrange the tyres, how to use the ropes to tie the tyres, and the right knot to use. Hopefully, all will be fine."
The special knot used is called Simpulan Manok or Clove Hitch. Considered one of the most important knots, a Clove Hitch is two successive half-hitches around an object. It's most effectively used as a crossing knot.
Fadhil elaborates: "The harder you pull at the knot, the further it tightens. In fact, you can use this type of knot for towing a car, boat or whatever.
"We've got 67 tyres left to tie and then we'll arrange them nicely to create the second layer."
Smiling broadly, he points to a row of tyres with sand already trapped in them.
"See, I thought it would take months for the sand to collect in the tyres. But there, 40 days or so later from when we first put that in, we already have sand in there. More sand will eventually collect and subsequently act as a barrier against the waves."
For the first round of the Wave Breaker programme, more than 800 tyres were successfully tied using 5km of rope.
At least 60 people turned up to lend a hand. Wave Breaker 2.0 has turned out to be a big success, says Fadhil, who confides of his surprise at the large turnout in volunteers this time around.
"We had 114 volunteers on the first day of the programme. On the second day, there were 60 people," he shares, before reeling off breathlessly: "We had volunteers from MNS Pahang, Fuze Ecoteer, The Kasturi, the Drug Intervention Community, IIUM Kuantan, KUIPSAS (Kolej Universiti Islam Pahang), Turtle Conservation Society, Yayasan Pahang and many more. Thanks to these volunteers, we managed to tie 1,705 tyres using 11km of rope."
Costs aside, what has been the biggest challenge of this undertaking?
"Time!" replies Fadhil, adding that the tyres need to be tied before the tide comes in.
"Once, we ran out of rope before all the tyres had been tied. I remember rushing to the shops but they were all closed. That same night, I did manage to get more rope but wasn't able to do anything as the tide had come in."
He consoled himself that he could continue with the work the next morning, only to subsequently see some tyres already bobbing gently in the water. "I was too late."
The sound of his name being called out causes Fadhil to stop in his tracks. Someone waves urgently from the distance and apologetically, Fadhil excuses himself.
"Go, go," I tell him before deciding to search for more familiar faces. Perhaps Helen and Jehan from MNS Pahang might be here, I think to myself before quickening my steps to escape the sweltering hot sun.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNT
Sure enough, taking a well-earned rest under the canopy of a large tree, sitting amidst the tyres are my old friends, MNS Pahang chairperson Noor Jehan Abu Bakar and Helen Bong Sze Wai, unmissable in her trademark flame red T-shirt.
Both these ladies are great supporters of Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery and have been a part of its journey ever since the late Pak Su was still alive.
Their faces beam as sunny as the sun the moment they spot me. "Helen! Kak Jehan!" I exclaim delightedly before perching myself on a dead tree branch opposite them. "Apa cerita? (What's the story?)" I ask, sweat dripping off my forehead.
"Did Fadhil tell you we've never experienced this before?" begins Jehan. "We believe it's all due to climate change. The water level has risen a lot higher than we expected. We predicted about 1 to 3cm of increase every year but we see that it's headed more towards 5-6cm instead. It has become quite unpredictable."
Sighing, the bubbly conservationist tells me that it's not possible to move the hatchery until the season is over.
"By which time, we REALLY need to move it — not a major relocation but at least to slightly safer grounds. Due to the erosion, some parts of the hatchery have already disappeared. We need to prepare for the worse," she elaborates.
Brows furrowing, Jehan adds: "We don't really have land where we can go to so we'll need Along, Alang and Angah to talk to the locals. Whatever the local stakeholders and community agree on, we'll support."
Thankfully, more people have become supportive of the hatchery now, chips in Helen, adding: "The locals have become friends with those at the hatchery — something that was a big challenge in the early days. It took time to be accepted."
Nodding, Jehan continues: "We've been on this land for the last three to four years already. We're part of the community and we also give back to the community. For every tourist that comes and releases the eggs here, we give back. At least RM2 for every person. We make our money here, give back to the community and they help us by looking out for our hatchery."
"Makannnnnn!" The loud bellow for lunch pierces the calm, coming from the direction of the canopy where I'd spotted the spread earlier. Magically, as if on cue, I can hear my tummy rumbling.
Sheepishly, I smile and the women chuckle goodnaturedly.
One last question, Kak Jehan, I muscle in. What's the level of awareness like these days when it comes to turtle conservation?
Her expression is earnest when the Pahang MNS chairperson replies: "I think the awareness is rising and people are starting to understand the importance of preservation and conservation when it comes to turtles."
Continuing, she points out: "A lot of campaigns have been done, not just by us, but also on the global level about plastic pollution and how it hurts the turtle etc. They can relate. People come and when they release the hatchlings, we tell them that for every 1,000 hatchlings that we release, only a few will survive. The impact is there."
Her eyes travelling dreamily to the distant horizon, Jehan concludes: "People should support all turtle conservation programmes, not only us. We're not in competition with other hatcheries. We're doing our own thing and it's good if everybody can support turtle conservation wherever it's being done. Supporting means spreading the word, coming to visit, and giving us donations so we can continue with our projects to save the turtles."
RIMBUN DAHAN TURTLE HATCHERY
Jalan Pantai Chendor, Jln Kuantan — Kemaman, Kg Chendor, Pahang.
For turtle release/turtle watching/volunteering, contact:
Along (supervisor) by phone or WhatsApp at +60172233359
Email rdtchatchery@gmail.com.