Call for detailed EIA on Pulau Upeh development

WWF-Malaysia Calls for Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Proposed Development on Pulau Upeh, Melaka
WWF 18 Aug 09;

The recent news that the development on Pulau Upeh by the State Government has been deferred pending the outcome of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Fisheries Impact Assessment, and possible establishment of a hatchery on the island by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry offers only slight relief (State defers Pulau Upeh redevelopment, 7 August 2009 & Hatchery plan for Hawksbills, 13 August 2009).

The entire coastline of the mainland fronting Pulau Upeh has been reclaimed causing major changes to the coastal dynamics of the area. A project of this magnitude with the corresponding detrimental impacts to the hawksbill turtle and its habitat of Pulau Upeh justifies the preparation of a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) and not merely an EIA.

This call is justified as WWF-Malaysia fears that the proposed development and any reclamation to accommodate the proposed development could be carried out in phases, thereby escaping the requirement to prepare a DEIA. WWF-Malaysia calls on the Chief Minister of Melaka to ensure the preparation of a DEIA for the proposed development project due to the extreme sensitivity of the area. Impact studies of the proposed development should take into account the cumulative impacts of all development in the area on the hawksbill turtles and their habitats. Additionally and more importantly, a DEIA will enable the study to be open to public review and allow transparency of the State Government’s development plans on and near the island.

The State Government, with the help of the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry and Department of Fisheries, must bear the ultimate responsibility for the care and protection of this critically endangered species. It takes more than setting-up a hatchery to ensure their survival. The viability of Pulau Upeh as a nesting home to the hawksbills is contingent upon the protection of the whole island and its surrounding waters. WWF-Malaysia stresses that only sustainable low-impact turtle-based ecotourism will ensure minimal disturbance to the turtles and its habitat.