FWD: Conservation lost at sea

November 26, 2002

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Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Conservation lost at sea

By TAN CHENG LI

AN AIRSTRIP on Pulau Redang, proposed chalets on Pulau Payar, duty-free shopping

malls and marina at Pulau Tioman, and two more resorts in addition to the

existing three on Pulau Lang Tengah & #8211; on the mainland, these development

projects would not raise an eyebrow but on islands fringed by fragile coral

reefs, they are the stuff of a conservationist & #8217;s nightmare.

These marine parks are supposed to be sanctuaries for the country & #8217;s

marine flora and fauna but development pressure threatens to overwhelm their

biological wealth.

We now boast of 38 marine reserves thanks to the effort of the Department of

Fisheries (DOF). These areas have been accorded protected status since 1985.

Logically, the coral reefs there should be healthier now than they were 10 or 15

years ago. But they are not.

The promise of idyllic islands and unspoilt reefs can draw more visitors than a

park and the marine environment can handle. Coral reefs are resilient but they

cannot recover if there is constant chronic stress & #8211; stress that comes

from land-based pollution. Beachfront development has dumped silt over reefs.

Visitors have left behind a trail of rubbish. Inadequate sewage treatment has

poured polluting sullage into the sea. Tourist boats have left an oily sheen on

the water.

Important habitats, such as mangroves which are vital for fish breeding, have

been sacrificed for golf courses and airstrips. And runoffs, instead of

percolating into the soil to replenish groundwater tables, gush into the sea.

Of course, marine parks should remain open to other uses apart from

biodiversity preservation, such as fisheries protection, research, education and

eco-tourism. That is enshrined in the objectives of the parks right from the

onset. Right now, however, the emphasis seems to be on promoting them as another

tourist destination and not conservation. The two goals just do not match up.

What & #8217;s worse is the type of vacation being marketed in marine parks now.

It is not eco-tourism but mass tourism consisting of golf courses, duty-free

shopping and conference tourism. These are not exactly what the DOF had in mind

when it created these marine parks.

Unfortunately, the DOF is partly to blame for this sad scenario. Take the case

of Pulau Redang. Before it became a park, it was virtually unknown and deserted,

save for small camping groups. The DOF, in its endeavour to promote the parks,

embarked on a publicity blitz in the early 1990s & #8211; when checks and

balances were not yet in place. So tourists flocked to the islands by the

thousands and tourism development surged ahead while management measures lagged

behind.

The major problem plaguing the management of marine parks is the DOF & #8217;s

lack of jurisdiction. It only has say over a two nautical mile radius of sea

around the islands. That & #8217;s the only area gazetted as marine parks. So, the

DOF can stop construction of a jetty & #8211; because it straddles the sea

& #8211; but not an airstrip on an island.

This is a skewed approach since whatever happens on land affects the sea.

There have been attempts to overcome the land-versus-sea conflict, such as

setting up inter-sectoral committees at state and local government level. It was

envisioned that if all relevant agencies discuss and co-ordinate development

projects, it will lead to “integrated management” whereby both land and sea will

be managed as one integrated ecosystem.

This does not seem to be working well as we still see economic goals overriding

ecological goals. State development agencies have yet to grasp the idea that

changes on the reefs are linked to changes on the land.

One example is the recent announcement of plans to build chalets on Pulau

Payar, Kedah. The tiny island has no freshwater, measures only 1.75ha long and

covers a mere 31.2ha, most of it steep and rocky. Whatever little land there is

has been taken up by the park centre and the 150m-long beach is perpetually

crowded with day-trippers from Pulau Langkawi. The only way to put in chalets

would be to cut the island & #8217;s steep slopes & #8211; and that will definitely

silt up the sea.

There is also the National Advisory Council for Marine Parks and Reserves

(established in 1985) with members from federal and state agencies as well as

non-governmental organisations and universities. It is supposed to determine

guidelines and co-ordinate development in parks. However, the council lacks

regulatory powers. Furthermore, the group did not even meet for two years prior

to its last meeting in April.

Not all the parks have management plans. Even the available ones are

ignored. The Department of Town and Country Planning has drawn up policies and

guidelines on managing and developing islands and marine parks but these appear

on paper only. The World Wide Fund for Nature also drew up guidelines for

tourism and recreational development for operators in marine parks in 1997.

A shortage of personnel, especially those trained in marine conservation,

adds to the woes of the Marine Parks Branch. Saddled with various duties & #8211;

including the menial task of maintaining park centres & #8211; they are often

left with little time to carry out enforcement and conservation work. So while

rangers do patrol the park for encroachment by fishing boats, tourists are left

unguarded. Resort operators also fail to brief visitors on reef etiquette and

most beaches do not have signboards that remind visitors of the protected status

of the place. The result: tourists trample on corals and help themselves to

shells and corals.

All the park centres boast of impressive facilities comprising staff quarters,

visitor chalets, exhibition halls and conference rooms. The Pulau Perhentian

Marine Park centre cost RM1.9mil. They certainly do not indicate the

department & #8217;s lack of funds, but this is what DOF officials insist. They

say the annual administration and development budget allocated by the

Agriculture Ministry barely covers park operations. So, the marine park unit has

to dig into the Marine Park Trust Fund which comes from the RM5 park entrance

fee. The fund totalled RM1mil last year. After paying for things such as

maintaining and upgrading facilities at park centres as well as purchasing

boats, fuel and mooring buoys, there is hardly anything left to fund scientific

research.

There is insufficient scrutiny of the health of our coral reefs. Research

grants under the Intensified Research Priority Areas & #8211; given out by the

Science, Technology and Environment Ministry & #8211; do not cover monitoring of

coral reefs as the results cannot be commercialised and marketed.

Moreover, the DOF & #8217;s priority is in improving fish hauls. So its resources

and manpower are channelled towards studies on aquaculture, deep sea fishing and

breeding of giant clams and abalones. The marine science departments of various

universities do conduct studies but these are ad hoc and only serve the

scientists & #8217; and students & #8217; field of interest.

Johor & #8217;s example

The threat of overdevelopment of marine parks & #8211; like what is happening at

Redang & #8211; will persist so long as the DOF has no say over land-use matters.

One way to have integrated management of land and sea would be to accord the

islands protected status, such as gazetting them into state parks. But only one

state & #8211; Johor & #8211; has confidence in this approach. It is the only

state that has decided to turn five islands & #8211; Besar, Aur, Sibu, Pemanggil

and Tinggi & #8211; into state parks. Sarawak and Sabah, on the other hand, have

done the right thing by placing both island and sea under the authority of one

agency.

Some quarters have recommended that the Marine Park Branch realign its

functions towards that of a conservation organisation instead of as a marine

parks management and enforcement unit. That would include incorporating a

research arm, expanding staff numbers and training park rangers.

An overlooked fact is that island flora and fauna require protection too.

Scientists say islands usually host unique creatures. Wildlife on islands, if

given adequate time and absence of predation, can develop into sub-species and

later, new species. This is due to their relative isolation from the major gene

pool and absence of genetic replenishment from major landmasses.

This happened in the Galapagos and also in the Pulau Tioman Marine Park off

Johor. Just last year, scientists unearthed eight species of herpetofauna

& #8211; one frog, four lizards and three snakes & #8211; new to science on the

Tioman, Aur and Tulai islands.

Similar finds may emerge from other islands & #8211; if people care to look.

Pulau Redang, for example, is cloaked in forest that has yet to be thoroughly

surveyed. Unfortunately, it may have already lost some of its wildlife. During a

recent three-day trip, staff from the Malaysian Nature Society failed to find

the rare Nicobar pigeon. The Redang and Perhentian islands are believed to be

the last two strongholds for this beautiful bird which sports iridescent green

plumage.

Islands are unique places and this fact should be recognised before any

development is allowed. It is high time that we studied exactly how much human

activity may safely be allowed and at what level before it undercuts the purpose

of a marine reserve. Otherwise, our marine parks may well end up as a failed

concept.

Yes, the allure of tropical islands is just too difficult to resist but once

turned into marine parks, their key role should be to protect precious marine

resources. The only way to stem the tide of destruction is to treat marine parks

as what they are: sanctuaries for wildlife. Tourism, low-key nature tourism in

particular, is just a by-the-way benefit.

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FWD: Conservation lost at sea

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