Clean As You Go, Adventure Race Organisers!

The rugged terrain of the Mat Chincang rainforest, the swampy mangroves of Kilim and right out to the rocky coastline of the surrounding islands of Langkawi. These are ideal factors that any outdoor and adventure enthusiasts would fall in love with. Langkawi is a much desired platform for sports tourism especially adventure racing where her natural challenges are bountiful and still pretty much undiscovered. 

In this year itself, Langkawi has attracted the following adventure racing events such as the Langkawi Ironbound , Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge and the most recent one was Raid Amazones, which was held from 19-28 November 2013.

Setting up adventure racing is never an easy task. Safety procedures must be carefully outlined to ensure the participants do not go beyond the boundaries and their well being are monitored. Routes must be carefully planned to ensure everyone's safety. As such, race organisers often tag the competition routes with plastic ribbons so participants do not get themselves lost. Water and snack stations must be placed accordingly to ensure that the racers do not drop dead of dehydration. 

Sadly, the things that were brought into or along the racing routes do not usually come out and be put to where they belong. They left huge impacts on the jungle trails and other stuffs as well. On their path to their so-called "glory", some of these racers would blazed the forest trails and the sea with their water bottles, junkie power-gel packets and Red Bull cans.

 The above and below pictures were taken on 24 June 2013 by a frequent visitor to Gunung Raya. Trash were seen left behind at the end of the 4000 over steps to Lubok Sembilang  after the racers have passed through. This event in June was Langkawi Ironbound

I do not entirely blame the brains and the brawls (the racers, I meant) as their aim is to win. Only a handful will be mindful of not leaving their rubbish behind. But sometimes, they do drop stuffs on the ground by accident while in a hurry. The entire responsibility lies in the event organiser. So, who says that organising a adventure racing event is easy?

Red and white plastic ribbons were found tied on the branches in the mangroves after the Raid Amazones event. Emails enquiring about the ribbons were sent to the Race Director, Gill Mention. One of the emails was ignored and Gill replied to the other email sent by saying, "je vous précise que je n'utilise que de la rubalise blanche et verte raid arbre vert et que celles ci sont systématiquement enlevés par l équipe qui ferme la course, je suis surpris par par votre remarque car depuis que je fais des recos sur cette il magnifique j ai constate le nombre tres important de dechets qui se trouvent un peu partout et en particulier dans la mangrove, je suis un fervent défenseur de l écologie et je vous invite puisque vous vivez a Langkawi , a vous rapprocher des autorités afin de sensibiliser tout le monde sur ces problèmes, juste pour vous donner un exemple le challenge international de VTT les forets et les routes sont balises avec de la rubalise jaune qui n a jamais été enlevés.

Je vous souhaite une bonne continuation dans cette région"

In English (after Google translation),
"I only use the white and green rubalise raid green tree and those are systematically removed by the team that closes the race, I'm surprised by your remarks because since I do it on this recce beautiful I have seen the very important number of waste that are everywhere and especially in the mangrove, I am a strong advocate of ecology and I invite you as you live in Langkawi, get closer to the authorities to educate everyone about these issues, just to give you an example of the international challenge of forests and mountain bike routes are tags with yellow barrier tape that was never removed. I wish you good luck in this region."

Well, Gill Mention... are you sure about what you have written? Recently, these ribbons were found still tied on the branches in the mangroves after 3 weeks of the event. These tags were spotted in five different spots along the channel. 

 Gill used the white and green ribbon nicely tied next to the red and white ribbon

RAID AMAZONES on a Sonneratia tree

This one is yours too, Gill?

A nature lover helping to remove the raid amozones ribbon from a Avicennia tree

Hey Gill, you are right! Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge yellow ribbon was found tied to a tree in the mangroves. Glad that you highlighted this in your email. What in the world was this yellow ribbon doing in the mangroves??? Did they bike in the swamp too? These yellow ribbons can still be seen along the road of Langkawi after the events have ended months ago.

Raid amozones should not be using L'Arbre Vert label at all

Being an outdoor enthusiast myself, I very much welcome such events to be held on this beautiful island. These events benefit the island's economy a lot. However, we do not appreciate if such organisers are slackers in practicing "Clean As You Go". None of the Langkawi's authority or government agencies will be bothered on such petty issues. One of them is only good at promoting events and nothing else even though letters were written to them. Have they ever acknowledge or responded?

You don't need to bother to return to the island to clean up the mess, Gill. Some good nature lovers have already done your job. 

  

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St Regis It Is!

This is the banner at Beringin Beach three days ago.

I had a quick chat with a local from a village nearby about this place and he said to me, "Sayang oh". Which means, "What a waste". What a waste indeed to have a beach taken 

away from the public.

And since there is nothing can be done when the land has been sold, we might as well look at things from a different perspective. The cleanliness of the beach will be looked after (provided that these contractors are not spilling in more sediments into the sea while constructing this resort). Once the resort is up and running, there will be people in near future to clean the beach everyday! More jobs will be created to clean the beach. Unlike the elderly couple who stayed there for more than two decades and they cleaned up the beach without being paid! 

The government's aim to increase more tourists coming into Langkawi and so more resorts are needed to accommodate the numbers. Actually, they want more tourists with high spending power to flock into the island and that is why more luxurious resorts are being built now. With more resorts coming up and this will mean more jobs for the locals. And so with more tourists and more development, which will mean progress for the local community here. When Langkawi is fully developed, it will be entirely different from now. It may have a new tagline, for example, "Luxuriously Langkawi" instead of "Naturally Langkawi", perhaps?

Come on folks, smile... progress and money are coming in. The government is helping and making lots of efforts to uplift the economy of Langkawi folks. The community here wants progress and they are getting it. I am sure they are thankful and grateful.  

Here are glimpses of the Beringin Beach before development takes place:

The remains of the old army barrack (ex National service camp)

Some local used to stay on the cliff. No longer now.

Does anyone wants to adopt these abandon plants like Drynaria, Mother-in-law's tongue, etc. There are Traveller's palms left behind.

If the banner is giving the true facts that St Regis will be here, then you may want to know that St Regis is under the management of Starwood hotels and resorts. You can google, please. I hereby giving  free promotion to the public for this coming five star luxurious hotel. To the tourists, keep your eyes and ears open and make sure you will be the first to book your stay here. To those tour and travel operators, go grab your opportunities! And folks, update your resume for you may find new ventures in this brand new resort.

Isn't this exciting? 

Progress is fast as they were very quick to build this guardhouse and the gate

By the way, St Regis, we do hope you will oblige to make a public pathway to access the beach because there is no such thing as a private beach. People still have rights to use the beach, you know? And I know that they will simply ignore me for I am just a small fly.

I wonder if they will change your name to something else..???

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Hip Hip Hooray for Dolphins!

Good news finally! I am afraid that this good news isn't coming from Langkawi. This comes from our neighboring continent, India! 

I have been hearing stories about a dolphinarium to be set up in Langkawi. How true this is, I am uncertain. However, I am praying hard that this will not become a reality. Visitors can have opportunities to see wild dolphins in the coast of Langkawi (depending on your luck) when they take up island hopping or mangroves boat tours.

Below is the story extracted from this link: India Bans Captive Dolphin Shows as "Morally Unacceptable"

NEW DELHI, India, May 20, 2013 (ENS) – India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to forbid the keeping of captive dolphins for public entertainment anywhere in the country.

In a policy statement released Friday, the ministry advised state governments to reject any proposal to establish a dolphinarium “by any person / persons, organizations, government agencies, private or public enterprises that involves import, capture of cetacean species to establish for commercial entertainment, private or public exhibition and interaction purposes whatsoever.”

Ganges river dolphin in Bangladesh waters (Photo courtesy BCDP / WCS)

The statement issued by B.S. Bonal, the member secretary of the Central Zoo Authority of India, acknowledges that cetaceans in general do not survive well in captivity, saying, “Confinement in captivity can seriously compromise the welfare and survival of all types of cetaceans by altering their behaviour and causing extreme distress.”

Noting that India’s national aquatic animal, the Ganges River dolphin, as well as the snubfin dolphin are listed in Schedule-I and all cetacean species are listed in Schedule II part I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the ministry said it is important to protect these endangered species from captivity and exploitation.

“Whereas cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, and various scientists who have researched dolphin behavior have suggested that the unusually high intelligence; as compared to other animals means that dolphin should be seen as ‘non-human persons’ and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose,” the ministry said.

Dolphiin show at Connyland, Switzerland (Photo byVivek Madwaskar)

The grassroots Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization, FIAPO, was pleased with the decision. This group took the lead in campaigning to ban dolphinaria in India, meeting with key ministry officials and garnering local grassroots support.

FIAPO spokesperson Puja Mitra called the decision “a huge victory for the dolphins!”

“India has become a beacon of hope for the global movement to protect cetaceans from captivity, and we thank Minister Jayanthi Natarajan for setting the benchmark in animal protection for the world,” Mitra said.

FIAPO has been working with their partners Born Free Foundation, Global Green Grants Fund, Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Project and Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation to bring about this prohibition in India for the past year.

Ric O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer who now serves as director of the U.S.-based Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Project, applauded India’s new policy.

“This is a huge win for dolphins,” said O’Barry. Not only has the Indian government spoken out against cruelty, they have contributed to an emerging and vital dialogue about the ways we think about dolphins – as thinking, feeling beings rather than pieces of property to make money off of.”

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The Fate of Beringin Beach

While most of the tourists here are familiar with  Cenang Beach and Pantai Kok or even Tanjung Rhu beach, how many of them are aware of Beringin Beach? Not many. In fact, my neighbor who has been living on the island for all of their life, was not sure of where Beringin Beach is. 

Beringin Beach or locally known as Pantai Beringin, is located less than five kilometers from Kuah town. It is a neighbour to Westin resort, separated by a limestone hill. The beach is looking at Pulau Dayang Bunting and some parts of Bukit Malut. Pantai Beringin is only well known to a handful of local community, not a very popular beach and it is a quiet recreation spot.

Pantai Beringin looking at Pulau Bumbun Besar and Pulau Dayang Bunting

Only a small resort with chalets were once there, which was known as Beringin Beach Resort. And the first Langkawi National service camp was built next to Beringin Beach resort. At the edge of the limestone hill, there was a makeshift hut which was made as a home to a couple. 

So, what is happening to the beach now?

As time went by, Beringin Beach resort wrapped up their business and I am not sure of the reason. The national service camp was relocated to Bukit Hantu. In order not to have the structures of the national service camp go wasted on Beringin Beach, the business went on by providing budget accommodation package for groups. 

This is the beach where my friends and I would go to if we want to head out to the sea for kayaking. On the evening this week when we were there ready for another round of paddling, we were shocked to find the chalets, the old national service camp and the makeshift hut were almost demolished. 

 The remains of the old Beringin Beach Resort as at 22 July 2013

 The remains of the old National service camp as at 22 July 2013

  The remains the old National service camp as at 22 July 2013

The remains of the makeshift hut as at 22 July 2013

An elderly man was there and seemed to be clearing up the area. And so I went over to him to find out. With a very sad teary face, he told me that a private resort has bought over the land from the government. He is the one who was staying at the makeshift hut. I didn't know until now...sigh...He told me that he was staying here for more than twenty five years. Both of them have looked after the beach by cleaning up the rubbish left by the public and brought up by the high tides. He and his wife were asked to leave the place which was once their home sweet home.

And so, another public beach gone! Eaten up by resorts. Langkawi's remaining public beach are Pantai Cenang,Pantai Tengah, Pantai Pasir Tengorak (which has created an issue when people are now charged entrance fee at RM2 per pax) and the beginning of Tanjung Rhu beach. Pantai Kok is gone as well, monopolised by the resort next to it. This is happening everywhere in Malaysia. Public have to pay to enter a recreational area which was once a public spot. 

Beringin Beach will now be haunted

Many thanks, M Facer, for your photos.

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Brown Sea

This is how the sea surrounding Kuah town in Langkawi looked like after a heavy downpour for more than six hours since last night. These pictures were taken early this morning.

Siltation from land development?? What goes into the river will end up into the sea, right?

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Botak Hill

It simply means "Bald Hill". 

This image above was taken at bird eye's view from the cable car. From my previous post, the forest of Pantai Kok has fallen to resort development and very likely a butterfly park. 

More and more of Langkawi's precious hill with lush rainforest will become "Botak Hill" due to unsustainable tourism. Long time ago when there was no water pipeline from the mainland, the locals here depended on their wells for water source. And where did the water source come from? The rain and maintained by the rainforest! Not anymore when people are now taking things for granted. 

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Face Of Climate Change In Langkawi

Earth day for 2013 is on Monday, 22nd April. The global theme for Earth day this year is: The Face of Climate Change.

The link to this video is here

Will the face of climate change be increased for our beloved island or the other way around?

While I do not have the answer for now, I wonder if we will face adverse climate condition here or will we affect the other parts of the planet?

Langkawi is struggling to save her own rainforest and now she is completely helpless in the current state of her remaining original habitat.

These recent photos were taken along the path of the new road which is now being built between Telaga Harbour and Mutiara Bay at Pantai Kok.

A "Rockblaster"

Development benefits the economic for the island. However, where do we draw the line between over developed and being sustainable? Langkawi is a preferred holiday destination because of her rainforest and the wildlife. I want to see genuine nature-loving tourists returning to Langkawi for her natural beauty and being respectful with her environment.

Multi-billionaire companies will tell the world that they will replant the trees after the development of a virgin rainforest. You and I know that replanting trees will never be the same as the original state. And yet, most of us accept the fact that the act of replanting trees is better than nothing. And yet, it is still not the same.

Rest in peace to those fallen trees .... and Happy Earth Day all!

Other interesting related links:

1. Land Agreement for Land Development At Burau Bay

LEASE AGREEMENT FOR LAND DEVELOPMENT AT BURAU BAY

WRITTEN BY LADA ON 28 MARCH 2012. IN CATEGORY NEWS

Langkawi, March 28: The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) made a major announcement today to lease the land surrounding Burau Bay Resort to Syarikat Benua Mahsuri Sdn Bhd (a subsidiary of Tradewinds Corporation) for the development of a luxury hotel.

The land in the lease agreement is for 36.7 acres of LADA-owned land officially designated as H.S(D) 3/96 Lot 1718 in the Padang Mat Sirat district.The land was originally developed in 1991 by Syarikat Pernas OUE (Langkawi) Sdn Bhd, who built Burau Bay Resort. After the lease expired in 2000, LADA gave the management of the land and resort to Syarikat LADA-Eco Tourism for 10 years. The decision to lease the land to Syarikat Benua Mahsuri was actually made last year, but discussions to finalize the details of the development were only completed recently.

Syarikat Benua Mahsuri plans to build an upscale hotel with an eco-resort concept, complete with a high-end spa and top-notch luxury facilities. The project is expected to attract more affluent travelers to Langkawi and to increase per capita income for tourism. The hotel will also provide more than 400 new jobs.

Project development is in accordance with initiatives 4 and 5 of the Langkawi Tourism Blueprint, which targets the beautiful northwest region of the island for the development of more ultra-luxurious resorts to attract the wealthiest and biggest-spending world travellers to Langkawi within the next few years. Additionally, this development will help address the shortage of rooms in Langkawi during peak season.

The lease agreement was signed by LADA CEO, the Honourable Tan Sri Khalid Bin Ramli, and witnessed by Y.Bhg Dato’ Fauziah Bt Yaacob, Board Member and LADA Director. Signing for Syarikat Benua Mahsuri was Tradewinds Corporation CEO Mr Shaharul Farez Hassan and witnessed by Dato 'Aziz Bin Shahar, Corporate Advisor to the Al-Bukhary Group.

LAST UPDATED ON 16 OCTOBER 2012

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My Light Encounter With A Poacher

It was a Saturday. Weekend for all. A picnic time for local folks in the park and as for myself, it was just another day on the forest trail. 

Walking quietly on the trail while listening for any new bird calls, my smell sense was rudely triggered with the smell of cigarette. My alert senses increased and immediately it send out a message, "Intruder"...beep beep beep 

My alert senses was correct. A "sinister" was lurking around the corner of a connecting trail. He was wearing a long sleeve yellow shirt, bearing a company name of "Lafarge". On the note, Lafarge is a cement company on Langkawi which is harvesting the limestone area in Teluk Ewa and now this company is threatening Gua Pinang in Kubang Badak.

Our eyes met. I was neither smiling nor frowning. My expression was expressionless and I thought I was. I continued to stare directly into his eyes. At an angle of my sight, I noticed him holding a parang (machete). And so was I. Should a few steps from him towards me, I am ready for his head with my blunt parang as I thought to myself.

What's next?

I stepped forward instead, closer to him. We didn't speak until I thought he mumbled something. And so I break the ice by asking him in Malay, "Are you chopping down the tree?"

He replied, "Eh...no la". 

"And then, what are you doing?", I asked again.

"Catching birds", he answered. 

He returned a question to me, "What are you doing here?" 

"I am catching those who are catching birds", I said in return. 

"Eh eh", he said.

"What bird are you catching?". I noticed there were calls of Asian Fairy Bluebird around and no bird cages with him but he was holding a very small tied-up sack and plastic bag. I have never seen locals catching Asian Fairy Bluebirds and the variety of birds they would go for would be bulbuls and Oriental Magpie robins.

He replied, "Dunno. My friend is coming soon. Are you alone?"

"Nope. My friends are behind." I lied. 

I continued, "You cannot catch birds here. Is wrong."

And so, I walked away. After less than 100 meters away from him, I picked up my mobile phone and started to call the Perhilitan (Wildlife Department) officers. I called two numbers of the Perhilitan which I usually liaised with. And I was unable to connect to both of them at all. As if their phones were switched off and so I contacted one of their top officers instead.

After informing the situation to this officer, he told me that there is nothing they can do. 

Eh? Why?

The area where I was is under the State government and so most of Langkawi. And Perhilitan is under the Federal government. Which means that the officers are not able to go into the area to chase the poachers out unless these poachers were caught in possession of protected wildlife. 

"If that's the case, there is no protection to our wildlife here then?" I asked.

"Unless the State government placed personnel to monitor the parks and the rainforest. But unfortunately, they have no funds to hire rangers to look after. Because most areas in Langkawi are not under the Federal government, our Perhilitan rangers will not be placed in those areas.", the officer explained.

"If that's the reason, what's the point of having the Perhilitan department on Langkawi then? I mean Perhilitan has done some good jobs in nabbing poachers in Langkawi but if they don't have full authority over what needs to be done to protect the wildlife here, then what's the point?" 

And then he went on about people not putting wildlife protection in the election manifesto and so the politicians of both parties will not bother as an issue to be addressed. 

Sounds like I have heard of this sort of story before and I am so fed up of all this political issues governing the welfare of our wildlife.

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A New Year 2013 Post

Festive season is the time of joy of giving and sharing. What a joyous moment to be able to  capture this beautiful moment of a male Great Hornbill passing food to his beloved expectant wife which is now being imprisoned in a tree cavity until she is ready to be out again.

A male Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) feeding his mate in a tree cavity

Is the female having a time of her life inside?... click "read fullpost" below

A labor of love, endurance and commitment shown by this monogamous pair. Indeed it is tiring for the male to fly in and out to feed her while she is sitting in there waiting for food. If you think it is an easy job for the female then think again. Mind you, it is not a nice feeling to be confined in a very tight space for 8 to 10 weeks filled with the smell of urine and feces even though there is constant cleaning in the nest. Is mentally tough!! 

When people had their lucky moments to see this live, some took the trouble to ask me if the hornbills are endangered. Yes, if their natural habitat is continuously being taken away. Big trees being ripped away by deforestation due to the rising tide of human population, development and greed. Langkawi is at the edge of losing her natural charms..."naturally langkawi"

My New Year rambling starts here. I decided to have a quiet new year on my own since I  got jaded with jamming in places filled with new year revelers and traffic congested roads.  And so, I picked up a movie to watch on New Year's eve and Hellboy II: The Golden Army was my choice. It has been ages since I watched this sequel of Hellboy (my favorite hero character) and I have forgotten the entire story. 

Here's the story extracted from Wikipedia: Hellboy II The Golden Army:

"In Christmas of 1955, a young Hellboy is told a bedtime story by his adoptive father, Trevor Broom, involving an ancient war between man and magical creatures, started by man's greed. After years of battle and defeat of the magical creatures' forces, the master of the goblin blacksmiths offers to build an indestructible golden mechanical army for King Balor, the one-armed king of the elves. Influenced by his son Prince Nuada, Balor orders the building of this Golden Army. Soon the humans attack again but the Golden Army devastates them; Balor creates a truce with the humans to stop the bloodshed: Man will keep his cities and the magical creatures will keep their forests. Nuada does not agree with the truce, and leaves in exile. The magical crown controlling the army is broken into three pieces, one piece going to the humans and the other two kept by the elves, so the Golden Army can never be used again"

The humans have eventually pushed the magical creatures out of their natural home and their habitats were taken over by developments. Prince Nuada returns and consumed by hate, he declares war on humans. And the story goes on with Hellboy and his team saving the humans from being attack by the Golden Army. And of course, who wins? Prince Nuada could have won the war but the director dictated the winner...

Prince Nuada: Image taken from entertainment.wikia.com

In my own ponder, humans can win over nature or we think we can. And Nature eventually has her own way to return with a bigger clobber over us. When will the revenge takes place? In her own sweet time and it will be the time when humans are overly complacent with our own created world.

And so with Langkawi, will there be a Prince Nuada hiding in the mountains of Macinchang or Gunung Raya, still asleep and the forest creatures are awaiting for his return to declare war on us? Or it should be the job of Puteri Mahsuri? Perhaps not. The power of Puteri Mahsuri's curse has already depleted. And so, wake up Prince Nuada!

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BLOG FOLLOWERS AND THE FOREST CREATURES

p/s: You must watch this movie!

Link:
Wikipedia: Hellboy II - The Golden Army

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My Ramblings: Of Conservation and Business

As I was browsing through my previous postings and updating them, I came across the link on letter to the Editor. The letter dated October 19, 2009, was written to highlight on the potential threats to the eco-sensitive of Pulau Payar Marine Park. Reading the letter again, I can't help but to ponder that this letter was mostly written by Mandy did produce positive result in the end.  

The mainstream newspaper did not publish the letter. Thankfully, MalaysiaKini and EcoMalaysia.org did.

Before the link will be removed forever, here's the contents of the letter (is quite a lengthy one):

Pulau Payar Marine Park has come a long way since it was first declared as a Fisheries Prohibited Area in 1985 and later gazetted as a marine park in 1994. Since then the tiny island of Pulau Payar, which measures a mere 1.75 km in length and 0.5 km at its widest point, has seen a lot of development, changing its face on the eastern seafront and making it a popular destination for reef-related recreational activities such as snorkelling and scuba-diving.

A small island located 19 nautical miles south of Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Payar, once a hidden treasure trove of marine fauna and flora known mainly to the local community of scuba divers, is now on the list of places to visit for many visitors to this region, both locals and foreigners. 

This is to be expected considering the Pulau Payar Marine Park is rather well-known for its rich marine life in terms of diversity of coral reefs and fishes over small areas throughout the group of four islands - Pulau Payar, Pulau Kaca, Pulau Lembu and Pulau Segantang - that make up the entire marine park.

In the 1980s, a small Marine Park Museum, a small jetty and limited accommodation was built to house one Fisheries Department Ranger on Pulau Payar. In the 1990s, along with its marine park status, the floating platform with underwater observatory and shower facilities came into existence and was moored off the beach at Pulau Payar. A few years later, several chalets were built by the Kedah state government but the project was discontinued due to constraints of water and electricity supply. 

Instead, expansion works were then carried out on the small museum converting it into the existing Marine Park Centre; public washrooms were rebuilt to cater to the influx of large numbers of visitors, the jetty was extended and more boardwalks were put in place in the name of tourism. 

Until today, Pulau Payar Marine Park remains the only pristine coral reef environment along the West Coast of Malaysia. A study conducted in 2006 by Yusri Yusuf of Universiti Sains Malaysia found that a comparison of total species of coral reef with other islands of Malaysia has shown that Pulau Payar has the highest species count.

Coral reefs have been facing environmental stress with increasing water temperatures since the El Nino phenomenon in 1997-1998 and will now be stressed further with rising temperatures due to climate change. Increasing water temperatures interrupt the metabolic activities of the zooxanthellae that live among the corals leaving the corals bleached white. 

Coral bleaching can also be caused by exposure to chemicals, sedimentations and excess nutrients such as ammonia and nitrate from plant fertilisers and household products entering the reef ecosystem. All these possible causes will arise from operating a resort on Pulau Payar.

As of today, the chalet project has been revived and construction works commenced two months ago. As such, in addition to environmental stress, there will be increasing stress from human impacts. 

For how long can the Pulau Payar Marine Park hold its status with all the threats man continuously throws at its coral reefs and its fragile marine ecosystem?

The issue of concern is that to maintain the pristine beauty of the marine heritage of Pulau Payar, development should be at a minimum and accommodation should not be allowed for obvious reasons. 

With this happening, primary threats to the coral reefs have been put in place with increasing nutrient run-off from human activities, sediment run-off from land/forest clearing for development and increasing sanitary and waste disposal problems, which would all be contradicting to the conservation of a marine park, no matter how ‘eco’ this resort claims to be.

The Pulau Payar Marine Park is one of the most frequently visited marine parks in Malaysia. With mass tourism and the daily operations of a resort on the island, fresh water intrusion will affect salinity levels at the sea and increase sedimentation load on the corals. Shampoo, detergent and lotions also contain chemicals that are harmful to marine life.

How would sedimentation, low salinity level and nutrient run-off affect the corals?

Freshwater adds salinity stress, causing a low salinity level and increasing sedimentation load. Similarly, when existing ground cover is disturbed, large quantities of fine soil particles are carried by rainwater into the ocean. These particles decrease visibility in the waters and the sediment blocks out light, thus reducing the growth of coral. At high rates of sedimentation, all corals will eventually be buried by sediments and killed.

Nutrient run-off from human activities into the reef system also encourages the growth of algae, which competes with corals for living space and light. Added nutrients could favour algal blooms, thereby retarding the growth and recovery of corals, even stopping their recovery, and finally causing death.

Once the corals die, fish and other marine species will eventually die, too.

Is there any mandate for a reef check survey to be carried out now before construction work continues further and the resort starts operation? And will this ‘eco-resort’ be environmentally responsible enough to engage an independent party to conduct regular quarterly reef check surveys to ensure the ecosystem has not deteriorated further? Will its operations be discontinued should there be signs of irreparable damage to the corals? Would it be too late by then to reverse these damages?

In many countries throughout the world, when an area is designated as a nature reserve or a marine park, great efforts are endeavoured to maintain it in its natural state as much as possible so that the public or visitors may enjoy the true value and heritage of the park in its original, undisturbed environment.

In Malaysia, however, it seems that an area that is designated as such would often become the target of more development, making it more urbanised rather than to conserve nature in its natural heritage. The Pulau Payar Marine Park is one such example. The irony is that marine parks were created as a means to protect an area of sea (or lake) to sustain its reef resources and to preserve its marine ecosystem, which is often a very sensitive environment. 

It would be recommended to issue a stop-work order immediately and move the resort out from Pulau Payar. At the same time, the authorities should look into restricting visitor numbers in a move to conserve and protect this marine ecosystem.

Looking at the bigger picture, the state government and local development authorities should also check themselves on the amount of development allowed on both Pulau Payar and Pulau Langkawi. It may seem lucrative to keep building more resorts, malls and theme parks to bring in the tourist ringgit. But how sustainable can this be for the islands?

Let us not forget that even with its duty-free status, Langkawi cannot compete with other cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong for ‘shopping tourism’. In the first place, tourists do not come from far to visit Langkawi for shopping. Instead, they are here for the nature that can be found here. 

In this respect, the Kedah state government and local development authorities should look into spending on conserving nature and protecting our forests to boost eco-tourism rather than focusing on clearing more land and forests for many more buildings and development projects. 

We are concerned islanders and we do not want to be in a mourning over the loss of the jewel of Langkawi in the near future. We are here protecting the rice bowl of the islanders.

Back then, I do remember how we were responded when we seek support from the MNS Langkawi. And below is the reply from the former MNS Langkawi Chairman back in 2009 (known as "junglewalla" the famous naturalist and proclaimed conservationist of Langkawi):

Note: Mr XX is someone that the name will not be revealed here

*From:* junglewalla <junglewalla@gmail.com>
> *To:* mnslangkawi@yahoogroups.com
> *Sent:* Thu, September 3, 2009 2:25:46 PM
> *Subject:* [mnslangkawi] Re: Pulau Payar Eco Dive Resort
>
>
> Hi Guys,
> I have spoken to Mr.XX on the phone yesterday and he informed me 
> this. Before being awarded the project the state goverment wanted the 
> best practice in place and made an inspection visit of his resort in 
> the east coast before the final desision was made.Some measures he has 
> in place are:
>
> 1. The grey water and black water sewage system at the resort complies 
> with international and national standards. All Treated water will be 
> used on the plant of the resort and not discharged into the ocean.
> 2.There will be a combustion generator(?) to power the resort but in 
> addition it has solar panels to light up the guest rooms at night.
> 3.All gabbage produce at the resort will be transported back to the 
> mainland or island.
>
> Mr. XX  has invited mns members to make an effort to visit to the 
> resort at P. Payar for a site inspection.May i suggest to our members 
> that we make a visit as soon as possible so as to satisfy any doubts 
> that we may have. This will also give us the opportunity to spot any 
> bad practices at the site and advice him early. This will allow for 
> the problem to be nib at the bud early. I am sure Mr. XX 
> understands that being environmentally friendly can be good for business.
>
> I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the group for the 
> passion and love you have shown for the island's environment. Keep it 
> comming.
>
> We must not only be seen to be a watch dog for the environment but 
> must be prepared to engage with stakeholders and goverment bodies. 
> While being critical we must also provide solutions. We must ensure 
> before any public action (newspaper,t. v., boycott etc) is taken on 
> errant individuals or companies that we must have throughly 
> investigated the matter and that we are proven right. This is to avoid 
> any legal liabilities upon us.
>
> Bear this also in mind..... that very so often we must stop and look 
> into the mirror and ask ourself this question .... What can I as an 
> individual do for the environment? .... Is the detergent that I am 
> using at home environmentally friendly or not and does it end up in 
> the ocean too?...or... .Am I still using styrofoam to pack my makan or 
> using the tiffen at the back of my car?....
> Anybody want to go into the environmentally friendly product business?
> Small deeds add up.
>
> Love & Peace
>
> Junglewalla
>

In the end, that's the end from junglewalla. No followups, no site visit nor efforts to help provide any solutions, nothing.  And yes sir, they did their own research before writing the letter. So, I wonder on the wonders of this conservationist. And now I have learnt that when conservation works and business interest comes together = zero conservation.

 

Though the deed may be small but thank you very much to Mandy, Malaysiakini and EcoMalaysia.org.

And if you are wondering why I am bringing up the past, I wonder myself too. I am NOT a conservationist. I am simply doing this dirty job of highlighting some of the issues online while mostly others prefer to rah-rah the issues over a teh-tarik at the mamak stall.

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