Sandakan-Turtle Islands Priority Conservation Area

Monitoring to manage turtles and island

The third priority conservation area in the Malaysian section of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas Marine Ecoregion lies off the coast of Sandakan.  Less than a one-hour speedboat ride from Sandakan is the Turtle Islands Park.  This park forms the Malaysian portion of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA) – the first joint protected area with the Philippines – and is home to Southeast Asia’s largest population of nesting sea turtles.  The waters off of Sandakan form one of the richest fishing grounds in Sabah and are home to endangered species of dolphins.

WWF-Malaysia works with Sabah Parks to help ensure that the vital Turtle Islands Park is managed as effectively as possible through the monitoring of marine habitats in the park with ReefCheck methodologies, the development of a business plan for the park and reviewing the park’s goals and objectives.