MUAR: Six friends could have easily earned more than RM30,000 each, but their love of nature saw them forgo monetary profit and return their homebred endangered Betta Persephone specimens to the wild.
Betta Persephone is listed under the IUCN red list and is endemic to a small pocket of peat swamp in east Johor.
Under the tutelage of citizen scientist Mohd Ilham Norhakim Lokman, the six friends managed to save a few specimens in its natural habitat, which is an oil palm plantation.
The friends come from different backgrounds – a practising doctor, an engineer, a fishmonger, a matriculation student and an aquarium fish trader.
Together with Ilham Norhakim, they ventured into a project funded using their savings with no guarantee that the tank raised fry of the Betta Persephone would survive.
"It was a trial with no high hopes on the fish surviving outside its habitat. The water perimeter needs to be precise at ph3.6," Ilham Norhakim told the New Straits Times.
"We need to save this critically endangered species which can only be found in one location in the world and it is in Johor. Sadly, its habitat is now gone.
"It took us a while to get the right ex-situ environment in aquariums and we used polystyrene boxes placed under shady rambutan trees to breed the wild specimens," he said.
The project started in 2020 with 16 adult pairs scooped from its threatened natural habitat.
"The swamp would have been bulldozed and prepared for oil palm plantation had we come a couple of weeks later.
"It would have been a disaster for the Betta Persephone because it would become extinct with only pictures to view in journals," he added.
Ilham Norhakim said its rarity would push its prices high in the international aquarium fish trade and those with captive pairs could easily sell the fish to the highest bidder.
The fish is currently traded at RM200 per pair and he predicts the price will be much higher as it can no longer be found in its natural habitat.
Ilham Norhakim said the team's project had the support of the Johor Forestry Department, state Fisheries Department with primatologist Dr Abdul Latif Abu Bakar of University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia advising and the Muar District Office.
Abdul Latiff is an expert on biodiversity and conservation and has been working on genetics conservation of various fauna in Malaysia.
He is now investigating the genetic diversity and molecular systematics of the endangered Betta Persephone.
"The outcome from this study will be able to explain the unique evolutionary significance that can be found in Betta Persephone populations which will be used to aid management strategies for the species," he said.
Dr Zahar Azuar Zakaria, a doctor from Kemaman, said Malaysians should help protect all flora and fauna listed as endangered under the IUCN.
"Appreciation for our wildlife heritage must be taught in schools and this can be done by organising field trips and inviting experts to talk on the fragility of the environment," he said.
Betta Persephone, he said, is like a rare jewel in the Malaysian heritage but because it is not commonly found in the fish trade, people tend to ignore its significance.
"Our team had the support from the Johor Forestry Department which identified a new protected environment for the home-bred Betta Persephone at the Johor State Park within the Air Hitam (North) Forest Reserve," he said.
Max Lau Wei Khang, an engineer from Penang, said flora and fauna are fighting a losing battle against development.
"Losing our heritage means we lose our identity. Betta Persephone is just one example because it is only found in Johor and as such, it is identifiable as a product of the State.
"It deserves to be elevated as a state fauna," he said.
The juvenile Betta Persephone was released recently by the team at its new habitat in a black water swamp in the Air Hitam (North) Forest Reserve.