Kerajaan Sabah Berjaya Lindungi Ekosistem Marin

Usaha memerangi aktiviti bom ikan memerlukan penglibatan semua pihak termasuk anggota masyarakat demi memastikan khazanah alam yang ada tidak terus terjejas atau dirosakkan, khususnya terumbu karang yang menjadi habitat hidupan marin. Semporna misalnya banyak bergantung kepada sumber-sumber alam marinnya untuk menjana dana kepada daerah ini. Jesteru, sebarang kaedah pengeksploitasian sumber marin yang menyalahi undang-undang perlu dihentikan serta-merta bagi memastikan khazanah alam dapat dimanfaatkan secara terus-menerus untuk generasi akan datang.

Aktiviti bom ikan adalah satu ancaman yang perlu ditangani segera kerana kegiatan itu yang sudah wujud semenjak bermulanya era Perang Dunia Kedua memberikan kesan buruk kepada penurunan bilangan populasi hidupan marin seperti ikan di Semporna. Situasi ini bukan sahaja boleh mendatangkan kerugian kepada para nelayan, malah turut menjejaskan industri pelancongan di daerah itu yang banyak bergantung kepada sumber-sumber marin. Jesteru, pelbagai langkah telah diambil oleh kerajaan bagi menangani masalah itu antaranya termasuklah melalui penguatkuasaan undang-undang, mewartakan lebih banyak pulau sebagai taman marin serta penganjuran kempen-kempen kesedaran.

Sepanjang tahun lepas, Pasukan Polis Marin (PPM) berjaya mengesan 11 kes mengebom ikan yang disiasat mengikut Akta Bahan Letupan dan 10 kes lagi di bawah Seksyen 26 (1) (c) Akta Perikanan 1985 iaitu memiliki ikan yang ditangkap menggunakan bom. Namun setakat Julai tahun ini, tidak ada kes seumpama itu berlaku terutamanya di perairan pantai timur Sabah. Perkembangan ini jelas menunjukkan bahawa pihak berkuasa berjaya menangani masalah ini selepas melaksanakan pelbagai inisiatif yang mana turut melibatkan komitmen dikalangan orang awam, aktivis dan NGO. 

Malah, pelancaran Ops Daulat pada Februari lepas bagi mengesan dan memberkas pengganas dari Selatan Filipina yang menceroboh pantai Timur Sabah (kini dikenali sebagai Ops Sanggah), turut menyumbang kepada penurunan kes pengeboman ikan kerana pada waktu itu kawalan perairan sungguh ketat dimana pelbagai agensi keselamatan dilihat berkawal di sepanjang perairan pantai timur Sabah. Perkembangan positif ini bukan sahaja membawa berita baik kepada warga nelayan dan pengusaha industri pelancongan, malah yang paling penting sekali, sumber marin negeri ini akan terus terpelihara untuk manfaat generasi akan datang.

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140 volunteer divers aim Guinness World Record

Photo: astroawani.com

About 140 divers are attempting to create a world record for the longest underwater clean-up programme organised by Astro Kasih under its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, Beautiful Malaysia.

This programme was officiated on Saturday by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman together with Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun at Gaya Island.

Also on hand were Senior Vice President of Broadcast and Operations, Astro, Rohaizad Mohamed and Vice President of Community Affairs, Astro, David Yap.

The clean-up programme will be carried out for a week at 14 dive sites surrounding the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with the aims to create greater awareness on marine conservation as well as promote eco-tourism among Malaysians.

Guinness World Record officials would closely supervise the 140 divers aged 21-63 from Malaysia, France, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Lithuania, Switzerland, Hong Kong and the Netherlands whom would be taking turns to dive to collect rubbish underwater for 168 consecutive hours (night and day).

Astro Kasih has received an overwhelming response to participate in the underwater clean-up with over 700 entries from both local and international volunteers.

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Profiling of Tun Mustapha Park – Habitat and community

Since 2006, the initiatives have collaborated with the communities of TMP to map important habitats, ecosystems, and areas for livelihood generation. Working with coastal communities and fishermen, community mapping was conducted to document important traditional fishing area, sea turtle nesting beaches, distribution of biodiversity such as sea turtles and dugongs based on observations, and common environmental issues in the area.

Commercial fishers have identified important commercial fishing ground such as demersal, purse seine and crab fishing ground. These local knowledge were gathered through a community survey conducted in 2006-2007 by Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia.

Community profile of TMP was also developed from the same community. The survey found that the coastal communities within TMP are mainly primary resource users with low income and limited formal education with aspirations for alternative livelihood to alleviate their socio-economic condition. This means their activities directly affect the biodiversity and marine ecosystems around them, and have primary interest in the management of their resources.

At the same time, continuous scientific researchers are also delivered. This include a scientific expedition that was conducted in 2012. The expedition was jointly organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia with collaboration from Universiti Malaya and the University of Queensland, and was financially supported by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) as part of their Coral Triangle Initiative Programme, and the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (USAID CTSP).

After 19 days of observations, the status of many reefs has been explored and they are showing apparent signs of stress from overfishing and destructive fishing methods used around the proposed park.

Focused interviews and field surveys in the proposed TMP have provided a better understanding of species which occur regularly and appear to depend on resources within the area for survival.

Source: Borneo Post

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Collaborative effort needed to address problems of marine ecosystem sustainability – Yahya

Yahya getting ready to beat a gong as a symbolic launch of the seminar.

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin has called for a collaborative effort to address the problems of the marine ecosystem sustainability.

Yahya pointed out that marine and coastal resources industries in the world are reported to represent more than five percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and oceans also provide the so-called ‘non-market’ benefits such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.

All these services will be downgraded or lost if oceans are not in a good state of health, so how can we afford to ignore the oceans? he questioned.

Speaking at the launching of the ‘Annual International Seminar on Marine Science & Aquaculture: Ocean Health & Our Future’ yesterday, Yahya pointed out that since fish landings from the captured fisheries are not increasing to match demand, aquaculture has to develop to supplement fish supply.

“The current level of production which is reported to be more than 63 million tons is not enough to meet human requirements. I know there are challenges in its developments but they have to be addressed.

“If as a result of exchange of experience and knowledge among the delegates, suitable strategies which are also relevant locally happen to emerge, kindly let us know. We would like to take up the matter for follow-up action,” he said in his speech at the seminar organised by the Borneo Marine Research Institute of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

“We are open to ideas and willing to act on scientific evidences presented to us in a way that policies could be evolved based on sound decisions,” the Agriculture and Food Industry Minister added.

According to Yahya, Malaysia, and Sabah especially, prides itself on having a rich culture where the marine heritage has played a very important role in peoples’ lifestyles and the government will spare no efforts to protect those cultural and traditional interests of its ocean citizens.

“These very resources are facing the threat to their sustainability. I believe if scientists, social scientists, policy makers and other stakeholders come together to address the problems of the marine ecosystem, we can collectively make a difference for the benefit of current and future generations,” he said.

Yahya pointed out that with oceans covering more than 70 per cent of the earth surface and their health linked so closely to human welfare, the ever increasing importance of this vast body of water is understandable.

“As our knowledge of the oceans increased over recent decades, our perceptions have also changed, making us think rationally about limits of acceptable change in the marine ecosystem,” he said, adding that the vastness of oceans and their enormous capacity to absorb impacts does not make them immune to human actions.

This, he said, is evident from the changes in ocean chemistry, most prominently acidification, and decline in biodiversity and fisheries resources.

The ecosystem degradation, Yahya stressed, is not confined to the coastal belt but spreads to remote areas due to water movement and pollutants introduced locally become a global problem in the course of time.

Their biomagnification in marine organisms consumed by humans creates health hazards, he said and added that oceans are a common necessity that needs to be protected by all and for all.

This, opined Yahya, calls for worldwide efforts and despite advancement in fishing technology, the captured fisheries production has not improved beyond the 90 million tons worldwide and many of the commercially important fish stocks have lost sustainability.

Globally, fish have been harvested at a rate far beyond their reproductive capacity of replenishment and this is the most serious challenge to sustainable management of commercial fisheries, he said.

“In addition to direct pressure on seafood resources, habitat degradation, biodiversity loss and effects of climate change are acting simultaneously to threaten sustainability. Besides seafood, the oceans also support the economic sectors such as tourism, shipping and energy.

“They offer opportunities for sourcing pharmaceuticals to treat human diseases and cosmetic products. In fact, the marine bio prospecting is an increasingly important topic for the pharmaceutical industry,” Yahya said.

Source: Borneo Post

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