KUCHING: The state government is planning to expand the placement of reef balls to cover the rest of Sarawak’s coastal waters, as part of a grand endeavour to rehabilitate coral reefs and marine life.
A total of 10,250 reef balls have been placed along the 120km-coastal waters of Belawai to Paloh, Igan to Mukah and Lawas since 1998, Second Urban Development and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said.
“Next year, we are providing an additional RM60 million for placement of 14,400 units of reef balls to complete the placement throughout the entire 870 km of Sarawak’s coastal waters.
“If we could bring along Brunei Darussalam into this endeavour, we can jointly put up a claim of the longest reef balls placement of more than 1,000 km from Tanjung Datu to Lawas,” he said in his winding-up speech at the state legislative assembly, here, today.
The reef balls were originally placed within Totally Protected Areas (TPA) mostly for the protection of marine turtle’s critical habitats and restoration of degraded coral reefs.
Including the recent placement of 2,400 units under Projek Rakyat, the state government had embarked on the Sarawak Reef Ball Project to increase the income of coastal communities in recent years.
Awang Tengah said the reef balls served to protect marine resources from illegal trawling and provide a conducive environment for marine life to breed and grow, thus providing better catches for local fishermen.
“They also serve as new sites for marine-based eco-tourism activity, bringing further benefit to local communities and the tourism industry. The state government has allocated a sum of RM10 million this year."
Awang Tengah explained that the reef balls program had yielded positive results as shown by the marked increase in fish landing by local fishermen in Sematan and similar results are expected in Belawai and Lawas.
He said marine turtles have also returned to nest in Similajau National Park after an absence of more than seven years with the placement of reef balls in its surrounding waters.
Meanwhile, to promote conservation of wildlife throughout the state, Sarawak has intensified its Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) programmes.
Awang Tengah said Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd has conducted the “Adventure with Wildlife Program” in 30 schools, the “Biodiversity Awareness Talk” to 27 local communities living adjacent to the TPAs and to 950 oil palm smallholders registered with Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) from Sibu, Mukah, Pusa, Selangau, Saratok and Betong this year.
He said promoting wildlife conservation was also being carried out through the Honorary Wild Life Rangers Programme.
To date, a total of 1,124 Honorary Wild Life Rangers have been appointed throughout the state. They are trained in conducting CEPA programmes and will also act as the "eyes and ears" of the government in enforcing wildlife laws.