Malaysia Conservation Efforts

[Rickg]

Here is a URL to an interesting article about Malaysian ocean conservation efforts, in particular around Lankayan Island. My wife and I visited there last fall and can vouch for the 7/24 presence of Malyasian Army on the island and patrol boats that regularly intercepted fishing boats that were operating illegally in the new conservation area. We felt safe the entire time we were there.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4027798/

Rickg

 

[DORSETBOY]

Impressive! Good to see a Government walking the walk and not just talking the talk.
Would be nice to see this model used in other areas, in the simlians for example lots of protected areas still suffer from illegal fishing.

 

[wandernsoul]

When I was in Malaysia last year (April + May) I was working with a conservation group, www.coralcay.org, doing dive research in the Perhentian Islands. We worked in conjunction with the Marine Parks people, who greeted us very warmly, and treated us very kindly. The organization I worked with had been invited to work in Malaysia because the government is finally recognizing that they need help in protecting the oceans around them. I felt that the work we did there was good, and working alongside the marine parks people was a great experience, a learning experience on both sides. We also worked with the local dive shops, and had a number of the staff sit in on our science lectures. One of the big hits of the project was involving the kids on the island. We had them painting pictures of things in the ocean, making paper mache fishes, and catching butterflies to identify them (it was a joint marine and rainforest project). These kids just ate up all the information we gave them, and every day we would find more and more of them outside the lecture hall.
The conservation efforts in Malaysia (and in many other areas of the world) fall under a mountain of beaurocracy. There is apathy, there is corruption, there is greed that hinders the efforts. Education is vital. I applaud the work that is being done to help with this education effort.
And by the way, these NGO's are ALWAYS looking for volunteers!