The Corals off Borneo are not Spared Either

Today's news reported that marine experts in the Universiti Malaysia Sabah are also worried that the corals off Sabah are also suffering the same fate as corals of West Malaysia' s coast. 

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) scientists have discovered widespread coral bleaching in Sepanggar Bay, off Sabah waters.

UMS Director of Borneo Marine Research Institute Prof Dr Saleem Mustafa said coral bleaching needs serious attention as it affects marine biodiversity and coral reef fisheries in the state's waters. Prof Saleem said coral bleaching was a stress response associated with ecosystem disturbances.


According to UMS experts, in the context of Sabah, the corals have been living close to their maximum water temperature tolerance, and additional warming of water certainly has a debilitating effect on their health and survival.
It was explained that coral bleaching happens when corals lose the symbiotic micro algae that lives on their surface (zooxanthellae  or the plant plankton, ) due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Bleaching stress has affected not merely the stony corals but also some soft corals, sea anemone and other marine invertebrates which have symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae.

Prof Saleem said that while the degree of bleaching in Sabah would require more studies to quantify, it seemed to have started in recent months based on the routine observations that have been on-going during regular dives in the area by UMS marine scientists.

Prof Saleem said the immediate causes could be unusual variations in temperature, dilution and sedimentation.

According to him, the dry spell and warmer conditions experienced in Sabah earlier this year (January-March) could have weakened the corals and dealt a blow to their resistance to environmental stress.

"A declining trend in the sea surface temperature anomaly that started in the second half of March 2010 from 1.5oC and transitioned to below 0.5oC over a vast part of the equatorial Pacific Ocean paved the way for rains that have been heavy at times in the recent weeks, leading to a large volume of run-off into coastal areas of Sepanggar Bay," he said.

Sedimentation was also another serious problem that needed immediate attention. Sediment run-off from the land-based activities and upwelling during the heavy rains have exacerbated the turbidity of the seawaters and covered the corals. Under this condition, corals already weakened by high temperature could not withstand increasing scale of sedimentation and dilution.

He said the possibility of unusual regional patterns emerging from global climatic change as factors responsible for coral bleaching cannot be ruled out.  The equatorial location of Sabah and the region around it makes it an active seat of hydrodynamics driven by changes in atmospheric conditions and ocean circulation. 

However, Prof Saleem said: "We should be prepared to face and examine oceanic patterns unfamiliar to us due to complications caused by climate change".

He said the UMS scientists were of the view that the climate change was worsening the serious problems facing the marine ecosystem.

"With acidification of ocean, altered hydrodynamic events and warming of the sea, the marine life is heading towards more dramatic consequences.

"At local level, we should reduce stress on the coastal marine ecosystem and build resilience in corals, and expedite the development of marine protected areas.This could be done by controlling sediment inputs to the marine environment and protect and restore the connectivity of corals with other associated marine critical habitats like mangroves and sea weeds," he said.


All global level, drastic reduction in carbon emission is the key factor in our fight against the effects of climate change.

Prof Saleem recommended that a sound and sustainable conservation policy has to be formulated as the economic costs of degradation or loss of marine habitats were enormous.
On another note, restricting access to Sipadan,  a world-renowned diving spot off Sabah, has increased the fish population following the Government's move to restrict the number of tourists and prohibit the setting up of resorts on the island five years ago.

This was among the findings of a five-day scientific expedition to Sipadan Island Park, which ended on Friday, Sabah Parks director Paul Basintal said.

The restriction has resulted in positive impact to coral growth in the 16,846ha park, thus preserving the area as a turtle feeding ground.

Forty-nine people took part in the expedition comprising researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Sabah Parks, Fisheries Department, Mineral and Geoscience Department and World Wildlife Fund for Nature.

Paul said Sabah Parks would formulate a management plan for Sipadan Island Park to preserve its marine resources in line with the move to gazette the area as a protected park last year. The plan, comprising short-term and long-term measures, will provide a more systematic management of the island's marine heritage,

Scientific data obtained during the expedition would serve as a guideline in formulating the plan.