Guest guest Posted November 19, 2002 Report Share Posted November 19, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/11/19/features/liisland2 & se\ c=features ________________________ Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Ecosystem in jeopardy IT WAS like 1991 all over again. Verdant slopes were cut till they bled red. Mangrove trees were axed. A cloak of silt smothered the seabed. The latest round of development on Pulau Redang, Terengganu, is again scarring the idyllic isle, much like it did when mangroves were cut and hills were flattened for a golf resort 11 years ago. Today, three projects on the island have triggered outcries from nature lovers and conservation groups: a new airstrip built by Berjaya Redang Beach Resort, the expansion of the Berjaya resort at Teluk Dalam, and the new 212-room Laguna Redang Island Resort at Pasir Panjang. The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), upon receiving complaints from its members and foreign tourists, has visited the island twice to investigate and found that ongoing development is jeopardising the natural ecosystem of the island. MNS executive officer Andrew Sebastian says all three projects lacked soil control and maintenance. Early this month, a visit to the construction site at Teluk Siang where a 1.1km-long airstrip is taking shape on land which used to be a golf course reveals that the runway and its side embankment reach the edge of the mangroves with no buffer in between. Earth was just pushed into the mangroves. Shrivelled trees mar the site. Red silt was spotted in one section of the mangrove along the river. On a previous trip in mid-October, Sebastian observed a silted river mouth after a downpour. “The sea had the colour of teh tarik.” “Land clearing directly to the edge of the mangroves is observed at Kuala Redang and Ulu Redang, with no provision for silt-traps or buffers. Slopes were terraced and cleared, but there was no evidence of any attempt to cover the slopes with cover-grass or netting to reduce the impact of rain which should be seriously considered in view of the advent of the monsoon,” says head of the MNS science and conservation unit Nik Mohd Maseri. At Teluk Dalam on the northern coast of the island, a red gash cuts across the steep slope on the right side of the bay. A strip of hill land has been flattened to squeeze in five blocks of buildings under the expansion plan of Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. These will house luxurious sea-view hotel rooms. Earth was observed to have been pushed over the slopes onto the rocky coast. The cleared areas remain bare despite the approaching wet season. “This slope is windswept and has sparse vegetation. It is in the direct path of the monsoon winds. If there is not enough slope mitigation, the exposed soil will be continuously eroded,” warns a Department of Fisheries (DOF) official. At Pasir Panjang where the Laguna Redang Island Resort is taking shape, Sebastian notes construction debris strewn about and sewage befouling a stream. “If these areas are left open to the elements during the monsoon, there will be more runoffs and more siltation. We are worried about the long-term effects on coral reefs and water quality.” There also appears to be violation of guidelines drawn up by the Department of Town and Country Planning in 1997 on development on marine park islands. The guidelines prohibit development on slopes above 20 degrees gradient and restrict structures to below 9m high or the tallest tree at the site. Both resorts feature buildings two to three storeys high. Of the three projects, the construction of the airstrip posed the most concern as it will affect the only tract of mangroves on the island. When Berjaya cut parts of the mangroves to build its golf course in 1991, there were strong protests. Critics also say a golf course was inappropriate for an ecologically sensitive island and would not sell & #8211; tourists go to a marine park for its beaches and coral reefs, not golf. They were right as the golf course proved unpopular and today, it has been converted into an airstrip. To get enough land for the runway, Berjaya cut 2.6ha of mangroves. However, it has raised the possibility that the crown of mangrove trees may have to be trimmed to comply with Department of Aviation rules on the approach of the runway. That seems like history repeating itself. Back in 1991, Berjaya obtained approval to cut only 2.8ha of the 35ha mangroves for the golf course but it cleared twice as much & #8211; 6ha. It also silted up the river mouth as cut slopes were laid bare and not turfed. Berjaya has always wanted an airstrip on Redang so that tourists can still reach the island during the monsoon. In fact, Berjaya is the only resort there to stay open from October to March. During one monsoon several years ago, tourists were stranded at the resort for several days because of rough seas. In the early 1990s, Berjaya earmarked the airstrip on a mountainous site but this was rejected. The present location on the golf course is still unacceptable to many. The Department of Fisheries objected to the airstrip and commissioned three independent studies on the impact of the project. All three studies concluded that the construction of the airstrip would be detrimental to the island & #8217;s mangroves and reefs & #8211; and all were ignored. The project proceeded late last year and site workers say it would be completed by March. “I was dead against it,” says Kevin Hiew, who used to head the marine parks unit of the Department of Fisheries. He retired in May last year, and is now a director in the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia. “WWF is not happy with the project because it will reclaim some mangroves. Furthermore, the hill has to be cut and this will cause erosion and affect coral reefs. Reclamation of mangroves will also destroy a habitat of coral fish. Studies show that some reef fish live in mangroves for part of their lifecycle.” With land fringing the river now a tarred surface instead of a permeable fairway, MNS & #8217;s Sebastian says runoffs would quickly flow into the mangroves, potentially affecting the habitat. “We are worried about the long-term effect on the mangroves. The project has fragmented the mangroves and left in small clumps, their chances of survival are slim. The trees will eventually die off.” UPM marine botanist Dr Japar Sidik Bujang says that tract of mangrove is the only one found on the island and is very small. He foresees that air movements caused by aircraft will cause defoliation of mangrove trees. Despite expert opinions on the importance of mangroves, the Environmental Impact Assessment on the project failed to highlight the crucial role of the habitat as fish nursery grounds. It also stated that the mangrove did not have plants of conservational value and consisted of only one mangrove species. On the contrary, Dr Japar, in a 1992-1993 study, found 13 species of mangrove plants there. In a later study, he also found various species of epiphytes such as orchids. The state government has also failed to foresee the social-economic impact of an airstrip on the island, as UPM marine scientist Dr Mohd Ibrahim Mohamed points out: “Tourists will not stop at Kuala Terengganu or use the service of boats there since they can fly direct to the island. This will reduce economic activity at local level.” Terengganu Department of Environment director Hassan Mat, however, contends that both the Berjaya projects have complied with EIA approval conditions. “There are minor silt discharges but this is normal for any construction.” As for siltation of the river estuary as observed by the MNS, he says it could have come from other land-clearing in the village. As for the Laguna Redang Island Resort, the Department of Environment (DOE) last month issued a notice to the developer for non-compliance with regulations. It found that sewage effluent from the workers & #8217; quarters and sullage from their kitchen flowed into a stream which led straight into the sea. There were also no silt traps to retain polluting runoffs. Drums of diesel were not kept in a covered store, allowing spills to enter the stream. Hassan says the developer has since complied with DOE requirements. & #8211; By Tan Cheng Li<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. 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