Media Release 17 September 2005

Hundreds of volunteers clean up Malaysia’s famed turtle beaches

Terengganu, Malaysia - Over 3,200 volunteers cleaned up the famed turtle beaches in Malaysia's eastern Terengganu State today, as part of environmental campaign Clean Up the World, celebrated globally on 16-18 September.

Local authorities, businesses and residents of Terengganu united to clean up the ten-kilometre stretch of beaches on the Terengganu coastline, joining an estimated 35 million people from 110 countries who are taking part in Clean Up the World Weekend.

From Seberang Pintasan all the way to the famous turtle beach at Rantau Abang, volunteers removed rubbish ranging from tin cans, nets and ropes to hundreds of plastic bags, bottles and cigarette butts.

Speaking from the clean up site in Terengganu, Ian Kiernan AO, Chairman & Founder of Clean Up the World, who travelled from Australia to participate in the clean up event, praised local volunteers for their commitment to the environment.

"Terengganu residents take great pride in their home and today they took great pride in cleaning up local beaches. The local community, businesses, government, individuals and schools worked together to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment," Mr Kiernan said.

The clean up focused on four beaches: Seberang Pintasan, Tanjong Jara, Kuala Abang, and Rantau Abang. Not only popular with tourists, these beaches are home to endangered turtle species - "the treasures of Terengganu" - whose numbers, according to conservation experts, have been declining in recent years.

As part of the event, local conservationists released 500 turtles into the South China Sea to symbolise hope for the future of Terengganu as a leading sustainable tourist destination.

"The local community, led by Tanjong Jara Resort Naturalist Captain Mokh in collaboration with Terengganu District and Terengganu State Government, realises the global significance of these beaches for the critically endangered leatherback and hawksbill turtles, and how rubbish on and off the shore can threaten their survival," Mr Kiernan continued.

During the beach clean up, the 3200 volunteers including 800 children collected an estimated 100 tonnes of rubbish. The most common items found were plastic bag and bottles, cigarette lighters, polystyrene foam pieces and discarded fishing ropes and nets.

To continue raising awareness of the importance of a green community, on Sunday Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Idris Jusoh, Menteri Besar, the state of Terengganu, will join Clean Up the World and together with Committee Chairman of District Office of Dungun and Ian Kiernan will give a speech to the community of Teluk Bidara.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact Clean Up the World on +61 2 9692 0700