Response to Coral Bleaching

Message from Julian Hyde- General Manager, Reef Check Malaysia Bhd

Dear all

I am writing to you to try to clarify the current situation regarding site closures in response to the current bleaching event.

When bleaching was first detected some weeks ago, the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia undertook some initial monitoring to assess the severity of the bleaching. Monitoring sites were selected on the basis of degree of bleaching and they initially selected sites which were reported to be badly bleached. At the time this was a sensible step and Reef Check Malaysia supported this monitoring on Perhentian and the other islands off the East coast. This was an effective strategy for tracking the impacts of bleaching on coral reefs and monitoring is on-going.

In considering appropriate management responses to coral bleaching, however, a different approach is required. One of the most widely accepted short term responses is to restrict access to selected coral reef areas. The best areas to select are those which are considered to be most resilient – those coral reef areas which are most likely to be the healthiest AFTER the bleaching is finished, so that they will recover most quickly and can “seed” damaged areas and help them to recover. Please see the attached notes for reference.

Last week, I visited many of the dive operators on the Perhentian islands, together with representatives of DMPM, to seek views on which sites might be most suitable for closure. These consultations indicated that the following sites would be appropriate:

- Tanjung Besi
- D’lagoon
- Batu Layar
- Seabell.

In addition, some areas were identified as being suitable for restricting snorkelling.

These sites were proposed DESPITE the fact that restricting access would cause significant inconvenience to some operators, but a consensus was reached that this short term inconvenience was necessary to protect coral reefs for the long term. As a compromise, and to minimise inconvenience, it was agreed that where possible only PART of the site would be closed, allowing at least some operation at the sites.

The criteria for selecting reefs for MONITORING bleaching are different from the criteria for selecting reefs for CLOSURE to recover from bleaching. However, DMPM did not apply these differing criteria when selecting sites, and unfortunately the list of sites for closure therefore officially remained unchanged from the list of monitoring sites when the list was published in a press release on Wednesday.

The different list of sites in the news report, together with a certain amount of lack of clarity in the news report, has created significant confusion among operators – and customers. This has happened in Redang and Tioman, too. We have dealt with many, many enquiries and complaints over the last couple of days, from dive operators, resorts – and even divers, who are unsure of what is going on.

To confirm the current situation: I heard from the State Director for Terengganu Marine Parks today, who informed me that the formal Cabinet paper now under preparation (the necessary document to confirm the legal closing of areas) will list the sites shown above as the sites to restrict access to as they are identified as the most resilient. Steps will soon be taken to install lines and buoys to mark off relevant areas. To repeat: to my knowledge, where possible only PART of the site will be closed to diving/snorkelling activities.

I can only say that I regret any inconvenience that you have suffered to date. I know some of you have received cancellations, and I have raised that matter with DMPM. However, I do believe that restricting access to some sites will contribute to the recovery of coral reefs around the Perhentian Islands, and that this is an important part of managing reefs for the future. Your continued support and cooperation is essential if the closure programme is to be successful and I hope that we will continue to receive this despite these short term uncertainties and difficulties.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards

Julian Hyde
General Manager
Reef Check Malaysia Bhd

Note: BuBu Long Beach at Perhentian Kecil supports restricted access to snorkelling/diving site deemed necessary as short term measures that will contribute to the recovery of coral reefs around Perhentian Islands.

For more pictures follow us on