Younger Generation Participation in Turtle Conservation and Awareness Programme - Study on The Illegal Trading, Consumption and Poaching of Turtle Eggs in Nearby Town of Turtle Island Park, Sandakan, Sabah Malaysia

The Turtle Island Park that consists of Selingan, Bakungan Kecil and Gulisan islands lies 40km north of Sandakan, Sabah Malaysia in the Sulu Sea. In 1977, these island were gazzeted as Marine Parks and eversince has become a safe haven for the endangered green and hawksbill turtles, protecting them from extinction. Even with this reputation, the surrounding area of east coast town Sandakan is still very popular among local and tourist for openly yet illegal trade of turtle eggs. This paper investigates the importance of younger generation participation in Turtle Conservation and Awareness Programme, thus its impact towards the effort to combat the illegal poaching, trading and consumption of turtle eggs in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. As the community here are still practicing the trading and consumption of turtle eggs at large, this paper also examine their context of accessibilty towards the conservation and awareness programme.