Scuba Geek

Sabah Tourism Officials and WWF Issue Reef Assessments from Sipadan May 31, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Conservation, News , trackback

I think this story is about done to death now but here is a final snippet delivered to me this morning by DiveNewswire. An assessment has been made to the damaged area of Sipadan and a report has been prepared by the Director of Sabah Parks to WWF-Malaysia’s Vice-President Emeritus Tengku Dato’ Seri Zainal Adlin who is also the Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board. The report states that the area damaged covers 372.2 sq. metres ( 3,984 sq. feet ), representing less than 1% of Sipadan’s total reef area. Looking at the photo I doubt that many people would really dive that, as it would be an area where I imagine any boat traffic, no matter how light, would disturb the scuba divers.

The construction work on the island has now been suspended, and the scope and specifications of the basic facilities project are being reviewed. From this report by DiveNewswire;

A management plan for Sipadan must be in place as soon as possible. The management plan needs to be based on sound science in order to manage all human activities on the island and its reefs. Additionally, an annual ‘state of the reef’ report showing the results of coral monitoring and numbers of visitors for the year would assist in the assessment of the reefs. This will highlight management efforts and provide interested stakeholders with information on an area that they care for deeply.

It must also be recognized that there is a difference between managing the security aspects of Sipadan and managing biodiversity of the island. Responsibilities of the island’s security management and of the biodiversity management must be clearly delineated. For the latter, Sabah Parks needs a full mandate and a proper management plan for biodiversity. Sabah Parks should be given full assistance by government, the private sector and local community stakeholders to manage Sipadan and other marine parks. WWF-Malaysia hopes that the management plan will be developed through participation and input from dive operators, divers and local communities as well as non-governmental organisations. A transparent, participatory process will build more capacity amongst all stakeholders to help Sabah Parks manage Sipadan.

“Sipadan is a national treasure that is also highly valued by people all over the world. The minimal impact of the barge accident will probably not affect the exquisite diving on Sipadan,” said WWF-Malaysia’s National Programme Director Dr. Dionysius Sharma.