dugongs threatened because of seagrass scarcity

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Save The Wetlands - The New Straits Times

Nature's forgotten super grass

style

 

'Nature is an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God

speaks to us every hour, if we only will tune in' - Walt Whitman,

American poet (1819-1892)

 

May 26: DID you know that until the 20th Century, people in the

United States of America and the United Kingdom used a marine

plant to keep houses warm and to sound-proof radio studios?

Amazing when you consider that the 'super plant' is none other than

the humble seagrass which most of us won't even give a second look

at when strolling down the beach.

 

Seagrass origins dates back to around 100 million years ago. They

are the only group of flowering plants that can be found along the

coast and marine environments of temperate and tropical regions.

Like coral reefs, seagrass ecosystems are heavily populated, not

unlike many of our world's major cities. Its diverse inhabitants range

from microscopic creatures to invertebrates like shrimps, sea

cucumbers, sea urchins, crabs, snails and even to bigger marine

animals like dugongs and turtles. Many find the seagrass beds

perfect feeding, breeding, nursery and hiding places. Besides,

seagrass also help greatly in oxygenating our seas and storing

carbon dioxide thus reducing the effects of global warming. Until

recently, the largest seagrass ecosystem in Peninsular Malaysia

was at the Sungai Pulai estuary in south Johor. However, it is widely

accepted that many areas of seagrass beds are shrinking. Encik

Saifullah Jaaman, deputy director of Borneo Marine Research

Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) suspects that this is due

to large tracts of shallow coastline currently being developed or

gazetted for future development projects. Coastal development and

land reclamation like the one being carried out on Pulau Tekong, near

Johor causes pollution and sedimentation in the water which blocks

off life-giving sunlight, thus destroying seagrass beds. If that's not bad

enough, untreated industrial, agricultural, mining and urban waste

that flow into the sea also contribute to the demise of seagrasses. In

the 1990s, Indonesia lost up to 40 per cent of its seagrass beds

while the Philippines and Thailand lost about 50 per cent and 30 per

cent respectively. Extensive land reclamation in Singapore caused

serious loss of habitats. Disappearing seagrass beds can have a

destructive effect on rare and endangered animals. For example,

dugongs whose favourite food are the Halophila and Halodule

seagrass species will find it hard to survive as they need to eat at

least 25 kg of seagrass a day. According to Encik Saifullah Jaaman,

currently there could not be more than 200 dugongs in Sabah while a

small number also ply the waters of east coast Johor and Pulau

Langkawi. All are threatened with extinction by starvation from lack of

seagrass, diseases and entanglement in gill nets/kelong and heavy

sea traffic.

 

Following the highly publicised dugong deaths in 1999, a dugong

sanctuary was proposed but till today no legislation or policy has

been developed for managing the Malaysian dugong population.

However, a programme to assess the impact of direct and indirect

catches on local marine mammal populations and to educate the

coastal residents in Sabah and Sarawak is being carried out by

University Malaysia Sabah in collaboration with the Department of

Wildlife Sabah, Department of Fisheries Sabah, Sabah Parks, and

the National Parks and Wildlife Division of Sarawak Forest

Department.

 

Other endangered marine animals who depend on seagrass for food

are green sea turtles, Olive Ridley turtles, loggerhead turtles and the

flatback. According to the National Wildlife Federation, fewer than

200,000 mature female green turtles are left in the seas while a large

nesting population of Olive Ridley Turtles averaging 398,000 females

has been recorded in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, India.

 

Often frowned upon as having no commercial value, seagrass is

priceless. It ensures us of a rich heritage of beautiful marine turtles

and keeps alive the myth of mermaids that began when European

sailors in the olden days mistook dugongs for mermaids. For

enquiries, contact the Borneo Marine Research Institute at (088-320

265/320 121 or e-mail to bmru.