REF 1
Title : The reefs, which attract some 500,000 tourists annually, will be off-limits to divers and snorkellers until the end of October in an attempt to relieve stress on the fragile marine ecosystems.
"Nine diving sites out of 83 sites all over the country are closed," Shahima Abdul Hamid, the Marine Park Department's director of planning and management, told AFP.
The closure would give the coral an opportunity to regenerate and would remove stress caused by tourism-related activities such as diving, the department said.
Islands closed
The department's director-general, Abdul Jamal Mydin, told reporters that in some areas 60-90 percent of the coral had been damaged, and that three entire islands around Tioman in Malaysia's southeast had been closed. "We are monitoring the extent of coral bleaching at all marine parks in the country. In the meantime, we are building artificial reefs and coral transplants," he was quoted as saying by the Star daily.
The Malaysian Nature Society applauded the move to give the reefs a break.
Apart from global warming, " corals are facing a vast variety of threats from uncontrolled tourism, and land-based threats which result in pollution," said the society's head of conservation Yeap Chin Aik.
REF 2
Title : Top dive spots closed due to coral bleaching
ALOR SETAR: Several dive sites at two of the top diving destinations in the world — the Pulau Tioman marine park in Pahang and Pulau Redang marine park in Terengganu — are temporarily off-limits to divers and snorkellers until end-October.
They are among three marine parks — the other being Pulau Payar in Kedah — which are affected by coral bleaching, a phenomenon caused by global warming that has increased sea water temperature by 2°C to between 28°C and 29°C.
Marine Park Department director-general Abd Jamal Mydin said the affected dive sites in Terengganu were Teluk Dalam, Tanjung Tukas Darat, Tanjung Tukas Laut, Teluk Air Tawar, Pulau Tenggol and Teluk Bakau; and in Pahang they were Pulau Chebeh and Batu Malang.
In Kedah the affected sites are Teluk Wangi, Pantai Damai and Coral Garden.
Three islands in the vicinity of the Tioman marine park that have been temporarily closed are Pulau Regis, Pulau Soyak and Pulau Tumok in Pahang.
“The closure means that no diving and snorkelling activities will be allowed at the sites.
“In Pulau Payar alone, the damage to coral is estimated at between 60% and 90%,” he told a press conference in Langkawi yesterday.
The department said it would limit the number of visitors to Pulau Payar from 400 to 200 daily during the closure.
Abd Jamal said it was necessary to close marine parks and islands to protect the coral reefs which had turned white.
“We are monitoring the extent of coral bleaching at all marine parks in the country. In the meantime, we are building artificial reefs and coral transplants,” he said.
Each year about 500,000 tourists, including foreigners, visit each of the marine parks.
Reef Check Malaysia general manager Julian Hyde welcomed the temporary closure of the marine parks, saying the corals needed time to recover.
“Corals are like the human body, Although the body can recover from a disease, it still needs time to rest,” he said.
Current climatic conditions have caused water temperatures to rise, thus affecting the corals, making them vulnerable to predators and disease, he said.
“Human activities will also have an impact on the reefs,” he added.
Malaysian Nature Society’s head of conservation Yeap Chin Aik said the department should actively get local universities and experts involved in saving the reefs.
Ref 3
Title : WWF-Malaysia’s statement on Coral Bleaching
Coral bleaching occurs when coral reefs are stressed. At a local scale the causes of stress may include disease, pollution, sedimentation, cyanide fishing, changes in salinity and temperature, and storms. Mass bleaching events such as the one Malaysia is currently experiencing is primarily due to increased sea temperatures. Temperature increases of 1-2ºC above the long term average maximum can already trigger mass bleaching. In severe bleaching events, the mortality rate can be quite high. Corals can recover from bleaching events, but they must have support for factors that promote coral resiliency. Studies show that the recovery success of healthy coral systems is much higher than the degraded ones. Good water quality, high coral cover and an abundant and diverse community of herbivorous fishes are important conditions to promote coral recovery.
The closure of affected dive sites is a temporary measure to minimize further stresses to the bleached corals. However, it is important to take pre emptive measures against events like this by putting more resources into marine protected area management, preventing coastal and marine pollution and promoting sustainable fisheries. WWF-Malaysia hopes that the Malaysian Government will adopt and implement Ecosystem Based Management of Fisheries and strengthen Marine Protected Area Management and Integration.
WWF-Malaysia also hopes that the government would stand by its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to global efforts to minimize the impacts of climate change.
REF 4
Title : Malaysia may close more dive sites hit by coral bleaching
Malaysia may close three more popular dive sites in the South China Sea which have been hit by coral bleaching blamed on global warming, an official said Wednesday.
Last week authorities announced the closure of nine dive sites on the tropical islands of Tioman and Redang until the end of October in an attempt to relieve stress on the fragile marine ecosystems.
The two islands are located off the east coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea.
Marine authorities said they were studying a proposal to shut down three more sites on Redang island after resort operators said they detected coral bleaching and wanted the diving spots closed.
"We have received the proposal, we will study it and verify the matter," a marine park official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The dive sites will only be closed if more than 60 percent of the coral has been damaged, she added.
The closure would give the coral a chance to regenerate and would remove stress caused by tourism-related activities such as diving.
Coral bleaching, which can eventually kill corals, occurs when stresses such as rising sea temperatures disrupt the delicate, symbiotic relationship between the corals and their host organisms.
The marine department has said 60 to 90 percent of the coral in some areas of the closed sites has been damaged.
The reefs in Redang and Tioman island attract some 500,000 tourists annually.
REF 5
Title : Reefs at Risk: Conserving Malaysia's Coral Reefs
ni panjang. sangat panjang.
No comments:
Post a Comment