Melati Mohd Ariff Bernama 7 Oct 11;
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- Extinction is a very real threat to coral reefs in the country.
To date, up to 30 percent of coral reefs have been destroyed.
Most of them are located by the beach and, ironically, by marine park islands.
This concern was voiced by Prof Dr Mohd Kushairi Mohd Rajuddin, the Science and Biotechnology Faculty Dean of Universiti Selangor (Unisel) in an interview with Bernama recently.
He said most of the destruction has been caused by human activities, including the development of vacation resorts.
"If we don't address the problem now, more corals will be destroyed -- to the point of its extinction.
"It would be a shame if we can't conserve the beauty of corals in our seas," said Prof Mohd Kushairi.
"This is a national treasure to be enjoyed not only by our generation by those to come."
A RESPONSIBILITY
Prof Mohd Kushairi said coral conservation should not be the burden of the government alone.
The government has spent a lot on enforcing the protection of corals. Other parties must carry the burden as well, particularly tourism operators and owners of resorts.
"Scuba diving and snorkeling centres must be monitored so that they do not disturb the corals," he said.
AN EXPERT
Prof Mohd Kushairi has been researching coral reefs and related issues since the early 1980s.
At that time, he was serving in the Fisheries Department Research Institute and researching the ecosystem of corals and coastal waters.
His research encompassed the waters of Kedah, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and Labuan.
The government then was mulling the establishment of marine parks to protect and conserve marine life.
"We were involved in selecting the islands to be declared marine parks, based on their coral reefs," he said.
"We researched every island and then presented our findings to the government."
He said the islands and the 200 nautical miles of sea area surrounding them are considered marine parks.
According to regulations, fishermen cannot fish within two nautical miles of where the tide ebbs.
RESEARCH
In 1999, Prof Mohd Kushairi conducted research on the corals at the Spratly Islands, off the South China Sea.
Conducted under the Internal Security Division of the Prime Minister's Department, the research ended in 2002.
"I headed the research. Experts from local universities were also invited to join.
"The purpose of the research was to study the ecosystem of corals in our waters.
"At that time, the condition of the corals was still good, and the islands could be turned into tourist attractions," he said.
The findings of the research were published and presented at a conference.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
In recent years, more parties are voicing concern about the destruction of coral reefs.
Prof Mohd Khusairi's research has proven the extent of this destruction.
He said some of the damage has to do with El Nino, a warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific, near the coast of Peru.
"El Nino happens every year and wreaks havoc on the climate across the world. This also affects marine life, especially during natural disasters," he said.
Besides El Nino, Malaysia's move to designate some islands as marine parks also indirectly contributed to the destruction of corals.
He said this was because the number of visitors to marine parks increased, and some of their activities -- including scuba diving and snorkeling training -- have caused the destruction of corals.
According to statistics from the Malaysian Marine Park Department website, visitors to marine park islands from 2000 to 2010 numbered 5,386,849.
The highest number of visitors was recorded in 2010, at 606,155 people.
Water pollution has also contributed to the destruction of corals, he said. The main offenders are resorts, which dispose of garbage straight into the marine parks.
CORAL BLEACHING
One of the signs of coral destruction is bleaching, said Prof Mohd Kushairi, who explained that it happens when water temperature rises to above normal and stays that way for several days.
"In Malaysia, coral bleaching starts when water temperature stays hot for five days or more. This usually takes place during the El Nino," he said.
He said corals are often coated by a microorganism called dinoflagellate, which gives corals their colour.
"When the water temperature rises even a degree, dinoflagellate will leave the corals. The live coral then loses its colour and becomes white.
"If the water temperature remains high, the coral will usually live for only a few days."
Prof Mohd Kushairi said bleaching causes the death of between 5 and 25 percent of corals in Malaysia.
CONSERVING CORALS
Prof Mohd Kushairi told Bernama the results of his research revealed that the destruction of corals in Malaysia's marine parks has worsened in the last 10 years.
For example, research conducted in 1998 found over 20 percent of the corals around Tioman Island, Thailand, the Sulu Sea and Indonesia had died.
He presented these findings in Langkawi during the 1999 International Conference on the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange in the Western Pacific (ICIWP).
"When a coral dies, it cannot be replaced. But if we guard the area, we can still do something.
"However, the areas have to be closed for some time, and no human activity can be allowed, -- including fishing."
ARTIFICIAL REEFS
There is no shortcut to encouraging coral growth. Any use of artificial reefs calls for prior research.
Prof Mohd Kushairi said not all structures thrown into the sea will aid coral growth.
"Some contain paint that is toxic for corals. This also applies to metal items such as ATM machines, tyres and PVC items."
In his bid to address the problem of coral destruction, Prof Mohd Kushairi is conducting a study on using artificial reefs to encourage coral growth in areas where coral death regularly occurs.
"The study is currently conducted in Tioman Island, and we are recording the growth rate by every square metre," he said.
He said artificial reefs in the study are made of concrete, using special cement or tiles from a specially mixed compound.
MORE RESEARCH NEEDED
He said research has to be done before artificial reefs are planted, as they only can be placed where there are coral larvae, to enable the natural process of reproduction.
"There have also been studies on artificial coral seeding. They break the corals and plant it on concrete.
"Two unhealthy scenarios may result from this process. Not all relocated corals will live, and corals that are broken can die.
"My research focuses on reproduction, not transplantation," said Prof Mohd Kushairi.
Cooperation between Unisel and Soka University in Tokyo this year has enabled him to conduct bioptic research on corals, to see the effect of sunlight on corals, marine flora and the areas around them.
The research calls for the establishment of a laboratory in Unisel's Science and Biotechnology Faculty in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor.
The bioptic research currently conducted at the South China Sea involves the coasts of Terengganu, and will be expanded to include the coasts of Pahang and Johor.
"We choose these areas because there are over 30 marine parks there.
"In 2012, we will carry out the same research in the Malacca Straits, encompassing three marine parks -- Pulau Paya, Pulau Kaca and Pulau Lembu," he said.
PUBLICITY NEEDED
The government has made an effort to address sea pollution and coral destruction.
However, more publicity is needed to educate the public on such issues.
According to Prof Mohd Kushairi, it is not enough to declare an island as a marine park, if no information about it was disseminated.
"We must increase available brochures and reading materials to be distributed in schools or institutions of higher learning. The public also need to hear explanations of this," he added.
"We have a Marine Park Department and research from various universities, but we have done little to disseminate information on the importance of corals," he said.
A BOOK ON CORALS
Prof Mohd Kushairi published a book on the Ecosystem of Corals in 2002.
He said the idea to write the book came from his children, whom he often brought with him during research trips.
"They often asked questions, so I figured it would be good to produce a book that gives basic information and background on corals.
"Before writing the book, I did plenty of observations on the destruction of corals, not only by fishermen but by tourists as well."
He said his book has not been publicized, nor widely distributed.
However, he thanked the relevant ministry for distributing his books in school libraries, universities and offices.
"This will hopefully give others a chance to learn about and appreciate the importance of corals," he said.
-- BERNAMA
