This post is part of our Living Legends series that spotlights key people in sea turtle conservation.

BIOGRAPHY

Malaysia’s “Turtle Lady,” Dr. Chan Eng Heng has dedicated her life to protecting sea turtles through scientific research, lobbying, education, outreach, grassroots activism, and art. She has served as a professor at the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, where she has inspired many students over the years, some of whom now hold key turtle conservation positions in Malaysia.

In 1993, Chan initiated Malaysia’s first in situ nest protection effort for the green turtles on Redang Island, a program that continues to this day thanks to the volunteer and turtle adoption schemes that she created. She lobbied passionately for the long-term protection of Redang’s nesting beaches, and three new beach sanctuaries were created as a result. She also cofounded the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia, which remains dedicated to restoring depleted wild turtle populations through research, conservation, rehabilitation, education, and public outreach. Chan has published widely and received international awards and accolades for her turtle work. There is even a street named in her honor in Terengganu: Chan’s “Turtle Alley” is adorned with dozens of mosaics designed to celebrate turtles and to build awareness for their conservation. We asked her several questions.

What Was Your First Sea Turtle Moment?

In 1976, I took a holiday to Terengganu on the east coast of Malaysia to see leatherback turtles nesting. They were the biggest sea creatures I had ever seen close up. I felt a deep connection to the mother turtle that I both stroked and watched in awe that night. I could not have imagined then that six years later I would embark on a 10-year journey to study these gentle giants. A few years later when an oil company official approached me with an offer to study leatherbacks, I jumped at the chance. Thus began a lifelong journey.

What Is Your Proudest Accomplishment in Sea Turtle Conservation?

It is certainly the recovery of the green turtle nesting population in Redang Island. When I first began protecting nests on Chagar Hutang Beach, turtle nesting was sparse, with numbers barely reaching 500 nests. Today this beach hosts up to 2,000 nests per year! I am very thankful indeed to have lived to see this turnaround since I started working there some 30 years ago.

What Is Different Now from When You Started?

Big strides have been made in Malaysia since I started my work on sea turtles in the 1980s. First, the 2022 amendment to the 1952 Terengganu Turtle Act prohibits the possession of eggs of all species. In the early days, nesting beaches were leased out to licensed egg collectors and the eggs were legally and rampantly sold in the markets. In those days I had to purchase eggs in order to incubate them. I raised an unimaginable amount of money to execute the in situ egg protection program that began in 1993.

Second, the number of researchers working on sea turtles has increased manyfold, and more-sophisticated research techniques are being used. Back in the 1980s, only two of us were seriously working on sea turtles. Third, more nesting beaches are being protected, which translates into more eggs being incubated. All in all, I would say that sea turtles in Malaysia have a better future today than 40 years ago.

What Are You Most Hopeful (and Worried) About?

My greatest hope lies in the many young Malaysians who have chosen to follow a career path in the field of sea turtles and marine conservation. I am also inspired by the thousands of volunteers who have participated in the program I launched in 1998. Their lives have been touched by sea turtles, and they will surely spread the message of sea turtle conservation far and wide.

My biggest worry is in the poaching of green and hawksbill turtles by foreign fishing vessels that encroach into our territorial waters. A few vessels have been apprehended in the past, and hundreds of dead and stuffed turtles were on board. Many vessels, however, escape detection and are responsible for killing shiploads of our turtles.

What Is Your Advice to People New to This Field?

Persevere! Find solutions to all the challenges you confront! Network with other sea turtle researchers and conservationists. Sea turtles may nest on the shores of one country, but their lives take them to other countries; hence, it is of the utmost importance for you to connect to your counterparts throughout the region. Stay abreast of new methods and technologies, and apply them whenever you can in your work.