A young resident of the local community picking up rubbish during the beach cleanup.
Turtle hatchlings were also released as part of the activities.
KUCHING: Kolej Komuniti Semporna, Green Semporna and Scuba Junkie S.E.A.S recently completed Scuba Junkie Marine Week – a local-community led event of conservation and environmental activities focusing on ‘Corals in Crisis’.
According to a press statement, the event took place from Dec 6 to 12 in four locations, namely Pulau Mabul, Semporna, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Komodo, Indonesia.
The theme was specifically chosen to highlight the amazing biodiversity of the Coral Triangle, and counteract the threats facing it on a local level.
“The Coral Triangle is a region with the highest marine biodiversity anywhere in the world. It is a stunning area of unparalleled beauty and a haven for marine life,” Scuba Junkie director Ric Owen said in the statement.
“Thousands of tourists visit the Coral Triangle every year to experience the underwater majesty of the coral reefs. On top of this, coral reefs provide food, shelter and a livelihood to thousands of people who live on the coasts.
“Our responsibility as a dive operator is to not only showcase the beauty of the reefs to our guests but to do what we can to protect it for the next generation.” Worldwide, corals are under threat from climate change, overfishing and marine debris – all of which adversely affects the health of reefs. A quarter of reefs worldwide have already been destroyed, with the remaining 75 per cent under threat. In South East Asia alone, 95 per cent of the reefs face destruction.
“We wanted to act locally to counter these problems” said Sabah-based Scuba Junkie S.E.A.S environmental officer David McCann. We are only too aware of the problems facing coral reef ecosystems worldwide – and we know the best way we can act against these problems is to start with local action. This is why we have partnered with Kolej Komuniti Semporna and Green Semporna for a week of activities aimed at engaging local communities here in conservation activities.”
One of the highlights of the week was the release of Myrtle, the first turtle ‘patient’ from Mabul’s Rehabilitation Centre, back into the wild.
Myrtle is the first patient released from the programme, marking a milestone for turtle conservation in the area and a happy tale that would not have been possible without the support and guidance of the staff from Sabah Wildlife Department, particularly the Wildlife Rescue Unit.
“I think the turtles tried to take over Marine Week” joked Steve Ashby, manager of Scuba Junkie’s Mabul Beach Resort.
“I mean, we had a successful Turtle Week earlier this year. But we released 188 hatchlings from two nests this week too, as well as releasing Myrtle back into the wild; this Marine Week was really all about corals – but I guess these guys just wanted a bit more attention.”
The week featured beach and reef cleaning activities, reef health checks (with Reef Check Malaysia), school visits, presentations, and massive island-wide clean-ups on Pulau Mabul, Pulau Sibuan and in the Kota Kinabalu Marine Park. Coral reef restoration projects were also carried out on Pulau Mabul with volunteers from Green Semporna.
“It was a great opportunity for people to get involved in conservation” said Rhena Ismail, chairperson of Green Semporna.
“Our livelihood and lifestyle revolves around the reefs of Sabah. We wanted to speak to people about the adverse effects of some human activities, and take steps to alleviate the stress we put on coral reefs – the presentations about the adverse affects of marine debris really hit home for our volunteers, and really motivated everyone to get stuck into the beach cleans.”
The final day of the event saw a massive group effort to clean up Pulau Mabul which resulted in over 200 bags of rubbish collected.
“The amount of rubbish was frustrating, but we were determined to do something about it,” said McCann.
Kolej Komuniti Semporna lecturer Norasmah Jaafar noted that the event was successful due to the collaborative effort between businesses, colleges, conservation groups and local residents.
“Everyone working together on the ground made a great difference. The students from Kolej Komuniti also had fun while doing these conservation activities, particularly the snorkel cleans. We want to encourage people to enjoy the beauty of the reefs on our doorstep, which are exceedingly unique,” she added.
Volunteers prepare Myrtle the turtle for its release back into the wild.
Volunteers and local residents with the sizeable haul of rubbish collected during the beach cleanup.