Marine Scientists Urge Protection Of 24 Critical Areas To Safeguard Malaysia's Ocean Diversity

By Hasnah Jusid

JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences (MSMS) has recommended that 24 marine areas across the country be officially gazetted and managed for conservation, under its Malaysia Important Marine Conservation Areas (MyIMCA) framework.

Its president, Affendi Yang Amri said four of these sites have been identified as “critically important” and in urgent need of protection due to their ecological significance.

“The four most critical sites are Pulau Jarak-Segari in the Straits of Melaka, Kuantan-Pekan on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Beting Patinggi Ali (Luconia Shoals) and Miri-Sibuti in Sarawak waters, and the Layang-Layang Island in Sabah.

“These locations support unique marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, sea turtles, stingrays, dolphins, whales, seahorses, and hammerhead sharks, all of which are in urgent need of protection,” Affendi told Bernama in a recent interview.

He said the recommendation comes amid growing concern from marine scientists about the state of ocean conservation in Malaysia, as less than 50 per cent of Malaysia’s estimated 4,000 square kilometres of coral reefs have been thoroughly mapped to date.

For the record, only a handful of marine areas have been officially gazetted so far, including Pulau Payar in Kedah and several small islands in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, a number experts say is insufficient to ensure the sustainability of the nation's marine biodiversity.

“Many areas remain unexplored, particularly submerged reefs in Kuantan, sections of the Straits of Melaka, and large areas of the South China Sea. Legal protection of these zones is vital to ensure ecosystem resilience against global climate change,” Affendi explained.

Affendi, who is also a senior researcher at Universiti Malaya Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), highlighted the unique resilience of coral reefs in the Straits of Melaka, saying that these reefs are believed to have a high tolerance to coral bleaching and could serve as important global refugia in the face of climate change.

He said Malaysia’s ongoing coral reef mapping efforts now utilise a combination of satellite imagery, aerial drones, ship-based sonar, underwater drones, scuba diving surveys, and photogrammetry, with the latter producing detailed 3D maps of reef structures.

However, the mapping initiative faces significant hurdles, including murky water conditions in the Straits of Melaka, the deep waters of the South China Sea, a shortage of trained specialists, and high costs associated with equipment and logistics, he explained.

Given these challenges, MSMS is calling on the government to allocate dedicated funding for marine mapping, invest in local researcher training, and strengthen partnerships with international marine research institutions.

-- BERNAMA