The Malaysian Insight

A HIGH volume of tourists on the islands of Terengganu has brought fears of the destruction of the state’s marine treasures.

Ecologists and locals told The Malaysian Insight they feared uncontrolled tourism will cause damage to the coral reefs, and that this will affect tourist attractions in the future.

This will also affect the yield of fishermen and food stock, they added.

Redang island resident, Mohd Amirul, 38, said damage can be seen in the coral reefs in the Pusat Taman Laut area.

He said that the centre established by the government used to be the main stopover for snorkelling and the study of coral reef conservation.

“But now the coral reefs have been damaged by uncontrolled activities,” he said.

The area has remained closed since the Covid-19 movement control order (MCO) but Amirul said it was too late to save the coral reefs.

“There is nothing there now, just sand,” he said.

He added damage to the coral reefs had affected the catches of the local fishermen.

Amirul said the islanders are allowed to catch fish in an area gazetted as a marine park.

However, since 2010, catches have declined 20% because of damage to the coral reefs that are breeding grounds for fish.

He said he can still earn up to RM2,000 a month in the monsoon season even though his catches are low because the price of fish is high.

““The current situation is helpful for us but the issue now is our future. There is the risk that this island will lose its marine treasures if no action is taken.”

Amirul said activities such as swimming and feeding the turtles are also harmful to the marine creatures.

“The turtles are not from a sanctuary but caught in a fishing net.

“But tourists come to swim, feed (the trapped turtles). That activities go on from nine in the morning to five in the evening daily.”

Tourism boat operator, Haziq Ibni, 42, said called for the marine department to monitor the situation, which he was is getting serious.

Haziq said the department is not doing its job of informing the tourists about caring for the marine ecology.

“I heard that they lack officers. But they should provide information and raise awareness about taking care of our marine treasures .

“We have heard incidents of tourists playing roughly with turtles, taking coral reefs home,” he said.

Fish, turtle populations affected

Terengganu’s coral reefs and marine life attracted 432,010 tourists to the state’s five main islands in 2019.

The most popular was Pulau Redang, which was visited by 145,000 tourists, followed by Perhentian (146,000), Lang Tengah (39,000), Kapas and Gemia (74,000) and Tenggol (26,000).

A 2020 study by reef conservation foundation ReefCheck Malaysia and the fisheries department found that the health of coral reefs in Malaysia was declining because of human activities and natural phenomena.

He said the fishing industry was also seeing a decline.

He said this would lead to the depletion of fishery stocks in 2048 if no mitigation measures were taken.

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu senior lecturer Mohd Fazrul Hisam Abd Aziz said the destruction of habitats could cause fish and turtle populations to dwindle.

Boats should not be allowed to pass through the waters with coral reefs, especially at low tide, and tourists should be closely monitored, he said.

“Inappropriate clothing during snorkelling can damage the habitats.

“We also suggest that the areas be supplied with fish fry and tourists should not be allowed into turtle habitats,” he said.

He said tourists must stop feeding the fish, which can interfere with their ability to find their own food.

He said although tourism contributes greatly to the national economy, the country must ensure that it marine resources are sustainable. – October 3, 2022.