Activities Report Jul 2000 Newsletter
THE REEFS NEED US 
        The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is greatly concerned regarding human impacts on coral reefs. Letter from J. Goh (The Star, May 11) make us realize that many Malaysian are still lacking in environment awareness. Feeding the coral fish and standing on the coral are actions that will have dire consequences for our reef ecosystem.
         Reefs are living, fragile and the most diverse ecosystem in the sea, supporting thousands of  species, such as fish, turtle and molluscs. The beauty, diversity and uniqueness of the coral reefs in Malaysia have attracted large numbers of visitors from all over the world. Coral reef areas, especially in shallow waters usually come in close contact with human. The do and don't in coral reef areas are: 
  1. Don't touch/step on the corals -- it will break and remove the mucus layer from the corals; mucus  is important to protect the corals by increasing polyps resistance to infection & bacterial attack. 
  2. Don't collect or buy  coral/shell for souvenirs -- it will reduce their population in the wild and disturbed the ecological processes. 
  3. Do not anchor; use anchor buoy  -- anchoring on the coral will break & damage the coral reefs 
  4. Don't litter -- don't throw rubbish into the sea, organisms such as turtle may mistake plastic for jelly fish and eat them, leading to their death. 
  5. No boats beaching on shallow reefs 
  6. No destructive fishing/spear-fishing; use single line and a hook -- fishing methods such as bomb, poison and illegal trawling will cause widespread damage to coral reefs and fish stocking (young and mature fish will all die). 
  7. No water-scootering/ water skiing in coral reefs areas -- it will break the corals and injure organisms in that area such as turtle and dugong. 
  8. Don't feed the coral fish -- feeding them food from human diet will alter their feeding habits, affect their coloring; making them vulnerable to predators, and food poisoning that can lead to their death. 
     Many snorkellers appear ignorant of the fragility of the coral reefs system. When this ignorance is combined with poor swimming ability, considerable damage is likely to be done to the reefs structures from trampling and breaking of coral reefs. Damage is more likely to occur at low tide when the reef is within easy reach.
       We must be more friendly to our environment. We must become more aware of their needs and most importantly, we must change our attitudes towards our vulnerable and precious heritage in order the protect them.
Kuala Lumpur, 12 May 2000
Back to Jul 2000 Newsletter index 
[ Back to MNS Perak Home ]
Created on 5th Jul 2000