IT'S a rare success story - the victory of nature conservationists over the wishes of land developers eager to put up yet another beach resort.

But that's the case at Tanjung Tuan, one of the last remaining undeveloped beaches along the popular seaside resort stretch of the Negeri Sembilan-Malacca state boundary in Malaysia.

RAPTOR WATCH: Bird-watchers looking for raptors in the Tanjung Tuan beach in Malacca. More than 10,000 birds were spotted by the enthusiasts at the annual event held last week. Organised by the Malaysian Nature Society, it attracted people from many countries. -- LESLIE LAU

This has proved crucial to more than 100,000 raptors, or birds of prey such as eagles, buzzards and hawks, that fly thousands of kilometres annually to Malaysia and Indonesia to escape the harsh winters of China, Mongolia and Siberia.

They fly down the Asian continental mainland and cross over to Indonesia from Tanjung Tuan.

When summer comes, the birds return home and this is where Tanjung Tuan proves crucial.

Ornithologists and bird watchers explain that these large birds need rising hot air, or thermals, provided by the rising heat of the landmass to glide through the air.

When the birds cross the sea, the air begins to cool and without the lift provided by thermals they have to start flapping their wings and need to rest.

'Tanjung Tuan is the closest point on the Asian mainland to Sumatra and this is where the birds cross the Straits of Malacca on their way back home,' Mr K. T. Lim, a bird-watcher who participated in the annual Raptor Watch in Tanjung Tuan, told The Straits Times.

The trees in the protected forest reserve provide shelter and a resting area for the tired raptors after their Straits of Malacca crossing, akin to a highway motel.

And it is the Raptor Watch, an annual public bird-spotting outing and picnic organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), that has helped save Tanjung Tuan.

This year's event, held last weekend, attracted more than 3,000 people not just from Malaysia but also from the US, Japan, India, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.

Over the two-day period of the Raptor Watch, the fourth one organised, more than 10,000 birds were spotted by the enthusiasts.

'Our philosophy is simple,' Dr Loh Chi Leong, the executive director of MNS, told The Straits Times. 'If people get to know about this event they will add their voice to conservation and the government will listen.'

The Malacca government announced this year that Tanjung Tuan, one of the last remaining coastal hilly rainforests in the country, will not be developed. For the eagles, hawks and buzzards, the decision has been a lifesaver.