Guest guest Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/2/17/features/7228675 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday February 17, 2004 Ecosystems for tourism Moving towards conserving the Sulu-Sulawesi seas in a tri-national action plan will benefit Malaysia by boosting tourism and related industries, reports ESTHER CHANDRAN. NOT many of us realise that the Sulu-Sulawesi seas off the shores of Sabah flanked by Indonesia and the Philippines harbour captivating marine life in one of the world’s premier oceanic ecosystems. There are 2,000 species of marine fish, 600 species of coral, six marine turtle species, more than 150 species of elasmobranchs, close to 40% of the world’s cetacean species as well as the largest and smallest fish and 33 mangrove species in that ecosystem. The seas are home to rare and newly-recorded species of sea turtles, sharks, whale sharks, dugong, whales, dolphins and coelacanth (the sole surviving representatives of a fish group from the dinosaur era) as well as sea grass beds and coral reefs brimming with oceanic life. Dancing seahorses, pipefishes, Napoleon wrasses, sea snakes and barracudas also thrive in these waters offering a truly rich amalgamation of marine species, profoundly mesmerising and spectacular in sight. The richness of the Sulu-Sulawesi seas is not surprising as it is located within the global centre of marine biodiversity known as the Coral Triangle – a vicinity of highest coral and reef fish diversity in the world. To ensure that the precious marine life will thrive for future generations, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 1999 initiated the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-region Conservation Program (SSME) – an effort to conserve the biological resources within the area. The threat of dynamite and cyanide fishing, blasting, over-fishing, coastal development, habitat degradation and pollution has led to a common vision between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to safeguard the area in an eco-region conservation plan mooted by WWF. The 7th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/ COP-7) held in Kuala Lumpur is an important chapter for the initiative worked on by the three nations. The Science, Technology and Environment Ministry’s National Oceanography Department spearheads the SSME initiative with the Sabah Fisheries Department chairing the technical working committee and WWF maintaining a role as the facilitator to the committee. WWF marine conservation officer Robecca Jumin said the programme’s ultimate goal was to conserve the fullest possible range of biodiversity in the SSME as well as the natural processes that sustain it. “The SSME programme adopts a two-pronged approach – planning for conservation and sustainable development of the SSME, and implementation of immediate action between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to save key sites and species,” she said. Jumin said 45 million people from these countries depended on the sea’s resources for their survival directly or indirectly in terms of fisheries, tourism and navigation. She said pressures of a growing population, resource use and consumption had resulted in un-sustainability of resources in the SSME. “Naturally, we are concerned. Although marine biodiversity remains high, some species have become extinct, while other populations of marine fish continue to dwindle as habitats are either being destroyed or lost,” she said. Sabah Fisheries Department assistant director II Edward Rooney Biusing said some of the challenges in conservation of marine life within the SSME pointed to pollution, over exploitation, blasting, cyanide fishing, coastal development and habitat degradation. “Combating these factors is something we cannot handle alone but need the concerted effort of all parties privy to these seas to address the matter collectively,” he said. Biusing said the 2001 Bio-Visioning Workshop in Manila had identified 10 outstanding areas of biodiversity and ecological importance in the Indo Pacific region. “The gathering of 76 biophysical and socio-economic experts from three countries identified three principal conservation areas in Malaysian waters, and we only occupy 5% of the SSME,” Biusing said. He said the Fisheries Department had mapped out a vision for the SSME focused on the conservation of biodiversity, maintenance of the eco-region in a sustainable and equitable manner for people of the SSME and maintaining biodiversity and productivity for generations through participatory and collaborative management. The initiative to conserve Sabah’s seas is a plus point for the government as the presence of abundant ocean life is a boost to tourism. Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman Tengku Datuk Dr Zainal Adlin said tourism was the world’s largest industry and East Asia Pacific was its star attraction with huge potential for Malaysia and Sabah as preferred destinations of choice. “Eco-tourism (tourism that relies on nature) is growing faster than any form of tourism throughout the world. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) forecasts that by 2020 the volume of international tourists arrivals in the East Asia Pacific will reach 438 million, 80% of which is from intra-regional travel,” Tengku Zainal said. He said Malaysia’s tourism industry had performed well in the last couple of years, generating substantial foreign exchange and employment opportunities. Domestic arrivals in Sabah have shown an increase from 365,537 in 2000 to 579,092 in 2002 while international arrivals rose from 408,938 in 2000 to 528,264 in 2002. Tengku Zainal said Sabah’s waters were the richest in terms of marine biodiversity, something every Malaysian should be proud of. “Sabah aims to capitalise on tourism with the richness of her seas,” Tengku Zainal said. Thus, protecting the beauty of our seas is a priority but onerous task, one that requires commitment of a good networking system with our neighbours such as the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area programme, undertaken by Sabah and the Philippines to protect turtles that come to nest. Tengku Zainal said although each country formulated a system of protected areas within its borders, protected species were not confined to stay within these areas. “Migratory fish such as whales and tuna, for example do not stay within their protective shores, so having a common protected area or network of marine protected areas (MPA) is important,” Tengku Zainal said. Once the tri-national conservation initiative is in place, sustaining coral reef, marine fish and mammals, marine turtles and other species within the eco-system approaches reality. Signing of the MOU is a step forward but conserving the seas also requires the commitment of other parties such as local authorities, non-governmental organisations, academic bodies as well as corporate and private sectors. Leading the role for conservation in an MPA is the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA). SIMCA is a conservation effort undertaken between a private company and government, providing an example of how the private sector can play its role to reach out and care for oceanic life within an MPA. SIMCA covers nearly 50,000ha of the Sulu seas encompassing the islands of Lankayan, Tegaipil and Billean where the Sabah Wildlife Department and Reef Guardian Sdn Bhd work hand in hand to guard over the inhabitants of the seas. The SIMCA region located at Sabah’s north east coastal region was declared a conservation area under S21(1) of Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 in 2001. It is classified under Category II of The World Conservation Union/IUCN as a protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation. On Jan 6 this year, Reef Guardian was given the mandate as SIMCA guardians, becoming protectors of marine life and coral reef, and putting a stop to highly destructive human activities that can kill or destroy animals of the seas. With the SIMCA initiative, coral reefs and oceanic life within the MPA are safeguarded as Reef Guardian watches over fishing activities, carrying out surveillance on trespassers through the use of high-tech radar and monitoring systems. Smart partnership initiatives between the government and private sector such as this is just what the STB hopes to see in the future. “There cannot be eco-tourism without marine conservation and STB welcomes any conservation initiative. For Sabah, tourism is our main stay as we have seen a 20% increase in tourist arrivals in a year, so protecting our seas which is rich with marine life is in our best interest,” he said. He said according to the WTO, US$20bil (RM76bil) was expected from the world’s tourism industry by 2020. Sabah hoped to bank in on 1% of that figure, Tengku Zainal said. “We are targeting long staying guests as well as the higher end market as the benefits of tourism have helped improve the local economy giving job opportunities to locals. “Last year alone RM8mil was spent on local fruit consumption, sourced from villages in Sabah,” Tengku Zainal said. He said although at present there were 10,000 hotel rooms in Sabah, it was anticipated that in three years time, there would not be enough rooms to cater to tourists. “Sabah has more than 30 ethnic groups, lovely paradise islands and certainly is the Caribbean of the East,” he said pointing to Sabah’s marine epi-centres such as the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Pulau Tiga, Labuan, Layang-Layang, Mantanani, Kudat, Lankayan, Mabul, Sipadan Kapalai and Sipadan. Tengku Zainal said STB would be happy to capture 1% of the world’s 20 million divers. He encouraged private companies and non-governmental organisations to come together to undertake smart partnership initiatives of MPA to promote eco-marine tourism. “We are using nature and adventure to position ourselves to attract tourists to the state. Tourism is a driving force for Sabah’s economy as she offers nature at your doorstep,” Tengku Zainal said. <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 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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