Datuk Christina single-handedly undid decades worth of promotion and effort by sending a message to the global community that the tourism sector is killing our environment rather than focusing on addressing the topic of sustainable tourism
It would be fair to say right now that YB Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture & Environment is confusing climate & marine experts right now.
In a recent press statement, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister YB Datuk Christina Liew said climate change had led to an increase in the ocean’s temperatures, and purported that excessive tourism is also causing damage to our environment.
“(Climate Change) has caused coral bleaching, reduced biodiversity and it has affected the ecotourism appeal. Excessive tourism activities also put pressure on the natural ecosystem, including damage to coral reefs due to uncontrolled snorkelling and diving. To help our coral reefs recover and not experience bleaching faster, we limit activities, including closing parts of the island”
Firstly, what is Coral Bleaching? It is a natural stress reaction of Coral where the water temperatures rises too high, and the Corals expel their natural algae, turning them white and essentially killing themselves because they lose the ability to feed on nutrients through photosynthesis – coral and algae are a symbiotic existence.
As to why Coral Bleaching occurs – The simple answer is high water temperatures and increased UV ray penetration – which is an overwhelming indicator that the atmospheric shell of the earth that regulates the sun’s rays is weakening, leading to hotter days and more extreme weather phenomenons.
Sabah is not spared from the threat and impact of global warming and climate change. With the acceleration of the global temperature increasing, it is not a surprise that our environment may not be an evergreen paradise – Every decade since 1903, it has been a fact that the ocean temperatures have increased by 0.18 degrees celsius – Meaning, the ocean’s temperatures have risen almost 2.16 degrees celsius today.
For those who are not aware of how this is alarming, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia in 2016, suffered an environmental catastrophe whereby 90% of it’s coral reef suffered a mass bleaching event. If this was not a warning sign for any person aware of the basic importance of the environment, Australia is considered one of those most extreme in policy protection for environmental protection – and they are not immune from a natural disaster.
However, experts & researchers from USM and the Center for Marine & Coastal Studies CEMACS along with researchers from Apex University are saying that, despite some evidence to indicate tourism can cause environmental damage, it is sustainable practices that has been making the difference for protecting our marine tourism activities, noting that Sabah has operators who truly embody the practice. In fact, the climate change and global warming research paper indicated that for Sabah, the proper regulation and management of environmental protection policies by private operators is what has been pushing towards recovery in Sabah’s coral reefs, with research that indicates that dive areas owned and operated by responsible operators show little to no damage on marine & coral health.
Looking back now at the statement from YB Datuk Christina Liew, who despite being the minister of tourism AND environments, so unnecessarily points the reason as to why Sabah is heading into a Coral Bleaching event is related to “excessive tourism activities” as the problem, indicates an immense failure of her ministry in regulating and promoting sustainable practices in the marine tourism sector, and cutting off the ability to earn an income from those who have supported the environment and economically rely on it’s preservation is especially insulting and degrading to many of the operators and experts who have gone beyond to sustainably do more work for marine preservation - Does YB truly believe that irresponsible operators will heed her call?
As Sabah is seen in the international diving community as an elite diving haven, YB Datuk Christina single-handedly undid decades worth of promotion and effort by sending a message to the global community that the tourism sector is killing our environment rather than focusing on addressing the topic of sustainable tourism – what now will be the minister’s plan to find the much needed source of financial cash flow to afford sustainable practices for environmental protection for our coral?
By- Urang Sabah
