SUNSHINE STORIES

30 September 2016, Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) is in full support of Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun’s recent statement on overfishing, particularly by foreign vessels that are encroaching into Sabah waters. SSPA Chairman Aderick Chong said sharks, rays and turtles are at an increasingly high risk of being wiped out by these foreign boats. “While encroachment by foreign fishing vessels is a major concern in Sabah waters, overfishing is also affecting our fisheries caused by overcapacity, use of non-selective fishing gear and, of course, the high demand of seafood as compared to other sources of protein,” he said. The current state of fisheries in Malaysia is unhealthy, with steadily increasing fishing vessels chasing the same limited marine resources and marine fish stocks are already over-exploited. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 69% of the ocean's commercially targete...

(c) WWF-Malaysia / Eric Madeja ~ My Fin My Life Campaign ~ 14 September 2016, Petaling Jaya:  Do Malaysians really care about sharks? Outside of Steven Spielberg made or inspired films, or wedding banquet pièce de ré·sis·tance (main dish, or, perhaps “I can’t resist this piece”), how do we look at these magnificent creatures? Apart from encounters shielded by glass thicker than the Great Wall of China, Malaysians emotional involvement with sharks has been mostly recreational or gastronomical. This is very frightening circumstance, not for us, but for the sharks...and ultimately the very ecological cycle of this beautiful planet. Which also means that mankind can and stands a very good chance of going the way of the dinosaurs. This prospect currently looks good. Malaysia has 63 species of sharks in its waters. Out of these 63 species, only the whale shark is protected under the Fisheries Act 1985. They are top predators that keep ecosystems in balance. They can be found in near...

SABAH, the Land Below the Wind, is regarded by many nature enthusiasts as a dream destination. For conservationists, it’s a veritable haven for its diverse species and habitats. The beauty of Sabah was recently celebrated with the gazettement of Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), bringing much joy to conservationists and nature travellers throughout the world. Measuring 900,000 hectares and covering more than 50 islands, TMP spans across three Sabah districts — Kudat, Kota Marudu, and Pitas. “The gazettement is just the first step to ensure that the largest marine park in Malaysia fulfils its potential for conservation and community,” begins Joannie Jomitol, team leader for WWF-Malaysia Kudat team. “All the hard work towards the gazettement of TMP over the past 13 years was just the beginning. Now that it has finally been gazetted, it represents a new chapter and requires all parties to take it to the next level,” she adds. WWF-Malaysia, together with Sabah Parks, had been continuously reaching...

MENYELAMI dasar laut di Taman Laut Tun Mustapha, sekitar kawasan kepulauan utara Sabah menyajikan keindahan terumbu karang yang dihuni oleh pelbagai spesies hidupan laut sejak beratus-ratus tahun dahulu. Selain menjadi tarikan pelancong, kawasan tersebut turut dikunjungi oleh pelbagai kumpulan penyelidik yang ingin membongkar rahsia hidupan di sebalik terumbu karang, sekali gus merencanakan usaha untuk melindungi khazanah negara yang tidak ternilai harganya itu. Dalam prakarsa yang dilaksanakan oleh Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Pusat Biodiversiti Nutralis, Taman Sabah dan Pertubuhan Dana Sedunia (WWF) telah membawa kepada penemuan spesies baharu ketam risa. Ketam risa atau nama saintifiknya, Lithoscaptus semperi ditemui hidup dan membiak secara bebas di sekitar perairan Sabah merupakan daripada spesies Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Hidupan tersebut dipercayai tinggal di dasar laut berpasir di sekitar kawasan terumbu karang dan merupakan antara hidupan yang cuba dirungkai oleh kum...

“DAHULU kawasan terumbu karang di kawasan ini banyak dan cantik, kini ia semakin berkurangan dan banyak yang telah musnah,” ujar Mohd. Omar Bural, 31, yang merupakan salah seorang penduduk di Pulau Banggi, Sabah. Menurutnya, sikap sesetengah nelayan yang menangkap ikan dengan mengebom ikan menjadi punca kemusnahan terumbu karang di kawasan perairan di sekitar Pulau Banggi. “Bom-bom ini dilemparkan di kawasan terumbu karang yang menjadi kawasan tumpuan ikan. “Selain itu, sauh yang dilemparkan dari bot-bot besar juga menjadi punca berlakunya kemusnahan terumbu karang di kawasan ini,” jelasnya. Bagi terus melindungi kawasan terumbu karang agar terus terpelihara Omar dan beberapa rakan lain daripada Kelab Belia Banggi (BYC) telah menanam semula terumbu karang di kawasan yang telah musnah. “Kami menanam semula terumbu karang yang musnah, manakala kawasan yang masih terpelihara kami mewartakannya sebagai kawasan larangan untuk sebarang aktiviti menangkap ikan,” katanya. Selain i...

How do you convince villagers that a marine park will benefit them? Yusof Bural of Pulau Banggi used to go fishing with bombs and cyanide – these easy but destructive methods were common among locals. Pulau Banggi is an hour by ferry from Kudat town in north Sabah. Some 10 years ago, he and his brother Omar were drawn in by the opportunity to learn scuba diving with WWF-Malaysia (WWF-M). That’s when they saw for themselves how blast fishing had devastated the island’s corals, the very breeding ground of fish that the islanders depend on for their livelihoods. They also saw how villagers had been injured in bombing accidents. So in 2009, they and their friends formed the Banggi Youth Club. Nowadays, instead of going out to sea with bombs or poison, they go in with toothbrushes! Dedicated Banggi Youth Club volunteers have built metal frames and tied living coral fragments to rebuild destroyed reefs. But to get the coral pieces to start growing, for the first month, they ...

(c) WWF-Malaysia Pop quiz: Where is Malaysia’s biggest marine park? And what is our largest island? Contrary to expectations, this park is not around the scuba diving havens of Redang or Tioman. It’s in northern Sabah. The Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), officially launched just last month, covers almost one million hectares of seas (898,762 to be exact). And it includes the marine areas around our country’s largest island – once again, moving beyond peninsula-centric ideas of Penang or Langkawi, this is Pulau Banggi, an hour by ferry from Kudat town in north Sabah. Size does matter. But it’s the unique management skills needed for this park that really make this our most ambitious conservation idea yet. Unlike traditional “national parks” where the residents are not allowed to touch the wildlife; the 80,000 inhabitants of TMP will (it is hoped) continue to harvest about 100 tonnes of fish – every day. That’s a daily haul worth RM600,000! The key word here is sustainable fi...

KUDAT, July 24 — The Tun Mustapha Park which was gazetted as the largest marine protected area in the region is expected to create a huge impact on Sabah’s tourism and aquaculture industries, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. He said the proclamation which involved an area of 898,762.76 hectares covering the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas, not only proved the state government’s commitment to preserving and conserving Sabah’s natural surroundings but also showed its seriousness in addressing socio-economic development for the benefit of the people. As such Musa said it was hoped that with the gazetting, various agencies, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Sabah Fisheries Department, Fisheries Association and the local communities would cooperate in the sustainable management of marine biodiversity in Sabah waters especially in Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu. “With the gazetting too Malaysia’s commitment towards the Convention on Biological Diversity, United...

Tun Mustapha Park is officially launched! By YAB Chief Minister of Sabah in conjunction with Kudat Festival, 24 July 2016

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia – The establishment of the Tun Mustapha Park in Malaysia, formally gazetted last week, marks a milestone in global marine conservation. Following more than a decade of dedicated efforts by government authorities and civil society, the creation of Malaysia’s largest marine park is an important step forward in protecting valuable coastal marine resources and promoting sustainable development.  Situated in an area of the western Pacific Ocean known as the Coral Triangle, the new park will help protect almost 1 million hectares of coral reef, mangrove, seagrass and productive fishing grounds including more than 50 islands. The establishment of the park will facilitate the implementation of targeted conservation measures to benefit both the environment and local communities living in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems. “After such a long effort, it is great to have achieved landmark protection for this rich home of marine biodiversity,” said D...