FISHES and corals are no entity,

Pollution, Destruction are crimes of great enormities,

Man talk but effort empty,

Ravaging the sea with great hostility,

Underwater beauty calls for your sympathy

in spirit, flesh and your money,

These great ecology is not in praise of man but instead the deep underwater beauty.

July 1998

The Redang archipelago - once envisioned by the late Tun Tan Siew Sin, who was then the Minister with Special Functions and chairman of the Capital Investment Committee, as a "Florida of the Orient" way back in 1969 - will no longer be a haven for swimmers, snorkellers and scuba divers, unless something is done to allow the corals to re-colonise. Tan had said that "the Government is of the view that the islands off the northern coast of Terengganu can provide the basis for a viable tourist industry. "We have chosen them as their natural beauty is probably equal to the best that any other place in the world can offer," he added.

The waters around the Redang archipelago alone is home to 346 species of reef-building corals and 326 species of fish, and the surrounding areas up to two nautical miles from the low water mark of the shore has been designated as marine parks.

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) - a partnership among nations and organisations seeking to implement Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, and other international conventions and agreements, for the benefit of coral reefs and related eco-systems - said biologically, coral reefs are the second most productive systems in the world after tropical rainforests.

ICRI, founded by Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, the UK and the US and of which Malaysia is a member, attributed the anthropogenic destruction of the corals primarily to marine pollution, unscrupulous fishing practices, coral collection for trade and direct physical damage.

Worldwide, about 10 per cent of all reefs have degraded beyond recovery and, if current practices go unchecked, it has been estimated that 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the resources could be destroyed within the next 10 to 20 years.

It said that developing nations stand at the greatest risk of losing reefs because of their dependence on reef resources and, in some cases, less stringent or non-existent environmental regulations.

In the case of the Redang archipelago which comprises Pulau Redang, Pulau Pinang (where the marine park centre is located), Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Susu Dara and Pulau Kapas,

ICRI said construction-related sedimentation had impacted on the reefs at the marine reserve.

The first settlement on Pulau Redang was at the estuary of the Redang river which flows out to Teluk Siang in 1977. The Teluk Siang area, sad to say, is beyond redemption. The once-blue waters are murky and the corals are dead - no thanks to the islanders who were, by far, the biggest polluters. The settlement, wooden houses on stilts, was opened to accommodate villagers who had to move from Pulau Pinang because the village was over-populated. Some 200 families resided in the village.

(The land on which the marine park centre now stands was initially earmarked by the Terengganu Government to be a marine police base. The Fisheries Department was, however, given the right to use it in 1985 after the State Government identified a new area for the police base.)

Without proper garbage collection and sewerage system, the islanders dumped rubbish and waste into the waters, causing seaweeds to outgrow and overwhelm the coral "colonies".

In 1989, the village had to move once again. This time, it was to a new inland settlement at Hulu Redang, which is some 2km away from the estuary. The new area is, more or less, a permanent residential site for the villagers. Under the resettlement programme introduced by the Terengganu Government, six families share 0.4ha of land. It is understood, however, that not all families were accommodated under the resettlement programme. There are still some 60 families living at the old water village.

This makes efforts to rehabilitate the corals at Teluk Siang almost impossible although the Terengganu Government had, from early 1995, introduced a kind of a garbage disposal system on the island. This year, the tendered sum for 10 months of garbage disposal amounted to RM90,000. For families who have moved inland, their dilapidated homes on stilts slowly lose form as the wood fall into the waters, damaging the eco-system while some were washed ashore to nearby islands like Pulau Pinang.

Berjaya Group, through subsidiary Redang Island Resort, set foot on Pulau Redang in 1991 and its move into the island created an uproar among conservationists, environmentalists and nature lovers who were against the company's plans to build a resort and an 18-hole golf course on the island.

Berjaya was given a 60-year land lease on the island by the Terengganu Government and forged ahead with the project. It cut the hills some 42m above sea level to make way for the 100-room Berjaya Redang Golf and Spa Resort and a road leading to the resort on the hill.

Although stringent measures were taken to ensure that the project did not in any way affect the coral reefs, it proved to be insufficient. Rain washed down earth from the cleared land and manure used to fertilise the nine-hole golf course (scaled down from the 18 holes originally planned) into the surrounding seas. While conditions have now improved to allow for corals to re-colonise, Terengganu marine parks chief Encik Abdul Rahim Gor Yaman revealed another "threat" to these underwater treasures.

The hot weather of late, with the temperature in the waters rising to 32 degrees Celcius, had caused the corals to bleach or turn white. According to ICRI, coral bleaching occurs as coral tissue expels zooxanthellae, a symbiotic algae that resides in the structure of the coral and is essential to its survival. The zooxanthellae, besides giving colour to the otherwise white coral skeleton, produces organic carbon compounds through the photosynthesis process. The zooxanthellae also benefits the coral by enhancing the rate of calcification. The coral, in return, provides the algae with a home inside its structure.

According to Rahim, the ideal temperature for corals to live and re-colonise is 28 degrees Celcius. "This is a worldwide phenomenon," he said. "Forty per cent of the corals of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are also affected by the weather. "We also see this happening every year at the Pulau Payar marine park in Langkawi but the extent of the damage is far larger this year. We noticed this happening here (Redang) between late January and late May. We are getting rain now and the temperature of the water has gone down. It is only a matter of time that the corals re-colonise. The process takes time."

He said the corals, which are "animals but have plant components", were also "stressed out" due to the major developments taking place around the island. Rahim, who became the unit chief of the Terengganu marine parks two months ago, said the Fisheries Department is initiating measures to ensure that the corals in the Redang marine park's waters are preserved.

The lesson learnt from Teluk Siang, Pulau Redang is indeed a bitter one. The protection and conservation of the corals are not the work of one ministry, a government department or an agency alone. They need the cooperation of all.

The establishment of the 38 marine parks under the Fisheries Act 1985 were aimed at protecting and conserving the marine eco-system, especially the coral reefs; for the management of the fisheries resources in the coastal waters to maintain and increase fish landings; protecting and conserving the coral reefs for research and bio-diversity; and for purposes of education, recreation and eco-tourism.

According to Rahim, the activities at the marine parks are covered by Sections 41 to 45 of the Fisheries Act 1985. The Fisheries Department has, however, proposed new regulations, considering the need to further regulate the activities within the parks to conserve and protect the natural habitat.

Rahim - one of those responsible for drawing up legislations and proposals for the protection and conservation of the country's marine parks - said the number of visitors to marine parks has been on the increase, citing the popularity of Pulau Payar marine park in Langkawi as an example.

"The establishment of the marine park has resulted in round-the-clock protection of the area. The number of fish has increased since the marine park centre was established in 1989.

"Visitors throng the park, causing overcrowding, especially during weekends and on public holidays. The department is taking steps to re-distribute the visitors within the park to address the issue. More public amenities has also been installed," he said.

The Fisheries Department is allocated RM70,000 a year to run the marine parks. So far, some RM50,000 have been spent.

The Redang marine park centre on Pulau Pinang was established in 1990. It acts as an administration, management, information and education base. It also has facilities for research works. The main office building has an exhibition hall, an audio-visual room, a laboratory and aquariums.

There are seven units of two- and three-bedroom chalets in the area which are for official use by the Fisheries Department only.

Beginning this year, visitors are not allowed to stay on the island which is strictly reserved for the marine park centre's use. Asked why the chalets are not being rented out, Rahim said: "We are not trained to be inn-keepers. We tried, but we want to leave it to those who can do it better. There are many private establishments near the island which also provide transfers to Pulau Pinang for guests who want to swim, snorkel or scuba-dive within the area. In a way, we are also contributing to the economy," he said.

Rahim said that Pulau Redang does not draw big crowds like the Pulau Payar marine park. "We have been lucky ... we do not get that many visitors and the activities at the marine park are confined to specific areas only."

Swimmers, snorkellers and scuba divers are also not allowed in the waters within the park when the tide is low as there is a tendency to knock and damage the fragile corals. A park ranger will hoist a red flag at the jetty, indicating that everyone should be out of the water. We also do not encourage one-time or new divers in the area; those who cannot control their buoyancy. We call them underwater walkers ...," he said.

Rahim said boat operators are also encouraged to hoist a dive flag when conducting diving activities as a safety measure to protect the diver and also to warn other boaters not to be within 100 metres of the dive boat.

The red/white or blue/white dive flag will caution other boats against speeding when they encounter a dive boat. All boat operators are also advised against anchoring on the coral reefs. Tour and boat operators have also been told to advise local and foreign tourists to take nothing from the island, dead or alive. Dead coral washed ashore, though very attractive, is one of the forbidden "mementoes" as it plays an important role in the overall eco-system. These corals, when thrown back into the sea, provide the living corals with much-needed calcium to re-colonise.

Visitors are only allowed to take photographs, swim, snorkel or scuba dive, and to observe and appreciate the marine floral and fauna. To ensure the preservation of the marine park, a board at the island's jetty reminds visitors that they are not allowed (unless with permission) to water-ski, jet-ski and race boats; collect or destroy the corals or other aquatic animals, destroy the public amenities on the island, anchor their boats at the coral reefs, arm themselves with equipment which could endanger the aquatic animals, catch fish in the park areas, dispose of pollutants and rubbish, and erect buildings or any structures in the area.

The enforcement powers of the marine park officials, however, are limited. "There is a thin grey line defining their jurisdiction," Rahim said. "We are only empowered to arrest offenders at sea, meaning that anyone caught on land in the possession of corals or underwater creatures which are covered under the Marine Parks Act 1985 can, if they are arrested, argue their case in court and in any event, will get away scot-free."

Meanwhile, to ensure cleanliness on the island, littering is strictly prohibited and visitors have to take their rubbish back with them. "We have difficulty disposing of the rubbish here. When we clean up the place ourselves, we have to take the rubbish back with us to the mainland."

The marine park chief had, during Business Times' visit to the island, initiated a cleaning-up exercise with his rangers.

Rahim, who has a Diploma in Fisheries Science and a Masters Degree in Environmental Management, heads a team of 22 rangers. Nationwide, there are 120 marine park rangers. During his post-graduate studies in environmental management at the James Cook University in Australia, Rahim completed a six-month project developing a database structure for a consolidated directory of biological monitoring programmes on the Great Barrier Reef.

"When we first started the marine parks, we did not promote it as a tourist attraction. We were not ready for visitors and we did not have enough staff," Rahim added.

The Fisheries Department only began to aggressively promote the parks in 1990 when the first Visit Malaysia Year campaign was launched. Brochures of the country's awesome underwater treasures were distributed and marine parks have since became popular tourist attractions.