The Star 6 Aug 09;
MALACCA: The state government has defer-red plans to redevelop Pulau Upeh, one of the country’s top Hawksbill turtle nesting sites, pending the outcome of environmental and fisheries impact assessment (EIA and FIA) reports.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the studies would be carried out to determine if the proposed project by a private company would pose a threat to the turtles’ landing and nesting patterns.
He said if the studies showed that the project could be harmful to the turtles, it would scrapped.
Speaking to reporters here yesterday, Mohd Ali said that everything involving the proposed project to revive an abandoned resort and chalets on the island which was scheduled to begin this month, would hinge on the outcome of the studies.
Located off the reclaimed land in Limbongan, the 2.5ha island has a 100m stretch of beach which is home to an estimated 100 turtle nests, representing more than 20% of the entire estimate of 350 nests in Peninsular Malaysia.
In the late 1980s, the state Economic Development Corporation developed a resort and 120 chalets on the island.
However, it was abandoned in the mid-1990s and in 2003 it was sold to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) for RM10.4mil as a training centre.
This year the state bought it back from TNB for RM6.5mil.
An earlier proposal to the Fisheries Department to convert the island into a turtle-nesting centre fell through due to lack of federal funds.
On July 15, Mohd Ali announced plans to revive the island’s chalets including building 80 additional units in a move to tap the eco-tourism market.
His announcement had caused an outcry from members of the public, including WWF-Malaysia, that the project would adversely affect the turtles.
