DAMAGED. Destroyed. That’s the state of the coral reefs around Pangkor Island in Perak. One of the most visited islands on the west coast of the peninsula, its surrounding waters were once rich in coral reefs.
Today, however, the world beneath the waves is a sad sight to behold due to the physical impact of tourism, including damage done by divers, snorkellers and boat operators.
In addition, overfishing and pollution from poorly supervised sewage from resorts have also contributed to the detrimental changes to the reefs.
Without a marine park status, activities on and around the island are neither controlled nor monitored. The island is in danger of losing its charm and sea life because of these multiple pressures.
According to reports, the number of coral reefs on the west coast has been falling drastically.
So what’s being done? Since 2011, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM), a non-govermental organisation dedicated to the conservation of reefs and creating awareness among local communities about reef preservation, have conducted programmes using the coral transplant method, namely cutting or breaking a piece of living coral and placing it on a proper substrate. It is hoped that this will improve the marine environment around Pangkor island and Pangkor Laut, with the support of YTL Corporation Bhd (YTL).
In 2014, YTL Cement sponsored 20 green cement reef blocks which were deployed for coral transplant. The project was a huge success, says RCM general manager Julian Hyde. Records showed that the young corals transplanted on the specially fabricated blocks had an 88 per cent survival rate. Hyde also noted that a mini-ecosystem was established, with small fish and various invertebrates taking up residence among the young corals.
OPERATION CORALS
This year, to mark the 60-year anniversary of YTL as a long-time supporter of reef conservation, an additional 20 blocks were dropped near the boat jetty at Pangkor Laut Resort to extend the reef. Meanwhile, another 20 blocks were placed on the seabed in Mentaggor Island, just a short boat ride away.
With a team consisting of three young marine scientists, Alvin Chelliah, Chen Sue Yee and Edmund Lau Chai Ming, and Pangkor Laut Resort naturalist Mohammad Khairul Arif, RCM hopes to see positive results with this latest effort.
Project manager Alvin says cement was chosen as the substrate due to its weight. He explains: “We figured it out through trial and error. Previously, we used plastic and PVC frames to house young corals, but because of the strong currents, some of the frames were uprooted. So we decided to use heavier substrates, such as cement blocks.”
On the day that the cement blocks would be lowered into the water, there were some concerns. Chief among these were the timing and sea conditions. The team members explained that low tides hampered the movement of the barge carrying the cement blocks when it’s anchored. Poor water visibility and strong currents were other concerns too.
But, knowing that there really wasn’t much time for deliberations, the team went ahead anyway. The blocks had to be put in place quickly. Watching the team members at work, moving heavy blocks weighing over 70kg each, one wondered why they would go to so much trouble. But for Hyde, the answer was obvious. “We broke it. So now we fix it.”
FOR THE FUTURE
Once the blocks were in place, the team members went to harvest coral fragments (called nubbins) at a donor site near the resort. The naturally-grown corals attached to the jetty poles at the resort were carefully selected, cut and placed in a bucket filled with sea water.
What is usually harvested is hard coral species, such as staghorn (acropora) or plate coral as these tend to grow relatively quickly.
The nubbins were then glued to holes in the cement blocks using underwater epoxy adhesive. The whole process took two days.
RCM has also conducted awareness programmes among the local communities to highlight the importance of marine ecosystems, beach clean-ups and snorkel guide training on the dos and don’ts of snorkelling.
In addition, outreach programmes are also being designed for public schools to educate the younger generation on the importance of environmental conservation and to empower them to be responsible stewards of nature.