A GROUP of snorkelling guides and boat operators on Pangkor Island have banded together to bring awareness to the conservation of coral reefs around the main island.
The Safe Snorkelling Zone (SSZ) programme was born out of the need to save the island’s corals, which are dying a slow death.
We now have a dedicated group of local snorkelling guides to do the ground work on education. - JULIAN HYDE Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) general manager Julian Hyde said the boat operators and guides had been tasked with educating the public on the importance of coral reefs.
“We now have a dedicated group of local snorkelling guides and boat operators to do the ground work on education and enforcement.
“They will explain to the public on the do’s and don’ts when snorkelling, and also to put up signs at resorts around the island.
“At the same time, they are to convince and rope in more boat operators and guides into the programme,” said Hyde after the launch of SSZ programme on the island last Thursday.
RCM, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of reefs and oceans, is assisting the group in the programme.
“It will take a lot of persuading and educating but I am positive that it will be a success,” added Hyde.
Boat operator Mohamad Fahizan Suid, 32, said coral reefs surrounding the island have been slowly dying out in the last 10 years.
“It is essential that we do something about it now. We cannot wait any longer,” he said, stressing on the urgency in having such a conservation programme.
“Pangkor may not be well known for its coral reefs but there are still tourists who snorkel in the waters here.
All for the cause: Marine life will return to the coral reefs if the conservation programme is successful, thus reviving the tourism industry. “Without corals, there will be less marine life and when there are less tourists, our livelihood will be affected,” said Mohamad Fahizan, who spoke on behalf of about 30 boat operators and guides taking part in the programme.
Mohamad Fahizan, also known as Jai amongst his peers, said many boat operators and guides were unaware of the importance of the coral reef.
“I, too, had been ignorant of its role in the ecosystem.
“We are not sure what is the main cause of the corals dying but I believe if tourists are taught not to step on the corals or pluck them out from the seabed, that would at least help,” he said.
Mohamad Fahizan said the boat operators and guides had also sought the assistance of RCM to revive the dwindling coral reefs on Pangkor and its surrounding islands.
Protecting marine life: A Reef Check Malaysia member transplanting a palette with corals on the sea bed near Mentangor Island, Pangkor Island ,recently. “We met up in 2009 to discuss how we can conserve the coral reefs here. After which, we were given courses on ways to conserve the corals.
“I am proud to say that most of us are now more aware and watchful of the corals and marine life here,” he said.
Last Wednesday, RCM transplanted three-square metres of Acropora corals from a nursery near the Pangkor Laut Resort onto the seabed near Mentangor Island in a bid to repopulate the coral reef there.
The pilot project carried out by RCM is a trial project aimed at finding out if it is viable to cultivate corals around the island and ultimately, increase the number of corals in the sea.
Mentangor Island is a short boat ride from Pangkor.
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