Malaysia closes diving reefs to save coral

Malaysia has closed several of its world-famous diving sites including those surrounding the tropical islands of Tioman and Redang because authorities claim the coral is being killed off by global warming.

A scuba diver swims above coral reefs near Malaysia's Tioman island Photo: CORBIS

By Barney Henderson, Kuala Lumpur

Twelve reefs that attract half a million tourists from around the world annually are now closed to divers and snorkellers until the end of October to allow the corals to recover from bleaching caused by warmer seas.

Abdul Jamal Mydin, director general of the Department of Marine Parks, said that the temperature of the seas has risen to 88F (31C) in recent months, up 4F (2C) from the normal level.

Up to 90 per cent of the coral has started to turn white meaning it is dying off, threatening the delicate ecosystem.

"We expect [the corals] to recover or at least improve." Mr Abdul Jamal said The Department of Marine Parks claimed the damaged coral was solely the result of rising sea temperatures and not tourism activities.

However, Mr Abdul Jamal explained that by banning diving, the coral will be given time to regenerate naturally.

 

The closures are likely to affect tourism revenue over the summer, but authorities argue the priority is to safeguard one of the country's main attractions – its coral reefs.

Environmentalists welcomed the closures, but stated that both climate change and tourism are to blame for the dying corals.
"In Malaysia, corals are facing a vast variety of threats even without the coral bleaching episodes, like uncontrolled tourism," said Yeap Chin Aik of the Malaysian Nature Society.

The Redang, Perhentian and Tiomon islands – the location for the 1958 film South Pacific – all lie less than 30 miles off the east coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea. They regularly feature in lists of the best diving spots in the world.

Coral reefs species

Corals are mostly sessile, colonial polyps, although solitary species exist. Coral polyps have tentacles, a mouth, a gastrovascular cavity and are connected to one another by common tissue called coenosarc. The outer, cellular layer of a polyp's tentacles is highly loaded with nematocysts; cells which can fire stinging barbs filled with neurotoxins. This allows corals and anemones to paralyze prey, ranging from small plankton to even small fish, depending on the size of the polyp. The polyp gut is a simple sac, and many coral species actually have guts which are connected together, allowing them to share nutrients. The gut is also the location where its gonads are located. Along the gut mesenteries, ovaries and testes will produce oocytes and spermatocytes, which are released during specific times of the year (for more info on coral anatomy read the article ‘coral reefs, an introduction' on reef.com).

Coral reefs

 

How the coral reefs grow

Coral reefs are widely known for their majestic beauty; these porous underwater mountains belong to the most species-rich biotopes on the planet. They are home to countless vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and have been documented and visited by many. These unique ecosystems have been created by the combined forces of billions of tiny invertebrate animals; the coral polyps. After many scientific studies, it has become clear how these animals have been able to create a Garden of Eden from virtually nothing. Coral polyps; the bringers of life