Despite this, Malaysia’s ocean life is at risk now, more than ever, with pollution and climate change proving an existential threat to marine life.
June 8 marks World Ocean Day and for this occasion, FMT Lifestyle caught up with local oceanographer, Anuar Abdullah, who has long championed maritime conservation.
In fact, in 2010, he founded Ocean Quest, the Malaysian chapter of Ocean Quest Global, an international organisation dedicated to preserving and restoring coral reefs throughout the region.
Speaking to FMT from Pulau Perhentian, Anuar, 64, said that growing up in Terengganu meant that the sea was a big part of his life.
“When I got into diving, I saw how serious environmental degradation had become and I needed to do something about it.”
Since the 1980s, Anuar has dedicated his life to the cause, focusing his efforts on rehabilitating coral reefs.
“I don’t encourage people to throw things into the sea and call it conservation,” he mused.
Even for land-dwelling Malaysians, he said, coral reefs are an important part of daily life as they form the base of the food chain. “If it collapses, everything above it will collapse too. Without coral reefs, a lot of marine life cannot be sustained.”
He said that many species of fish are dependent on the reefs for shelter and food, so the destruction of coral reefs also means the loss of human food sources.
Almost every day, Anuar goes diving and often brings volunteers with him to check on the health of coral reefs. Education, he said, is a major boon in the fight to preserve the reefs.
According to him, the beauty of Malaysia’s reefs is a double-edged sword, as excessive tourism contributes to the failing health of those same reefs.
“Because of the aesthetic value of the reefs, tourists want to go there. In Malaysia, only Sipadan has regulations on how many people can visit on a single day.”
Climate change, he said, is a useful excuse for local authorities to shift the blame away from local factors contributing to deteriorating coral reefs.
He added that while Ocean Quest does play its part in conservation, protecting Malaysia’s seas is everyone’s responsibility.
“The problem with Malaysia is that people keep making excuses. ‘Oh, it’s not my fault that other people are throwing garbage into the sea!’”
As long as everyone is not on the same page, he said, the issues plaguing the country’s marine life will continue.
He said that from his experience, working in Thailand is easier than back here as Thais are more willing to listen and act accordingly.
By contrast, Malaysians tend to take menial steps towards conservation as a publicity stunt and nothing more.
“I’m not saying that Thailand is better than Malaysia, but the people and their perceptions are different,” he said. “The way they do things is different.”
He also lamented that too many higher-ups in Malaysia’s environmental agencies, rarely, if ever, go down to the ground, leaving them clueless of what needs to be done.
“This is the reason why I don’t work much in Malaysia. I only work with stakeholders who really want to make a change.”
That said, not all Malaysians are as apathetic, with Anuar praising some dive shops on Perhentian for making a real effort to preserve the island’s reefs.
“They put investments into trying to save the reefs. Their livelihoods depend on it. These are the people who are genuine, and I work with genuine people.”
Anuar also remains sceptical of environmental promises made by politicians. “Words do not change the environment. You have to act on it.”
While older Malaysians are harder to convince, Anuar holds more hope for the younger generation whom he hopes to educate on the importance of oceanic preservation.
“One day, when they hold power, they will have a little bit more awareness and knowledge of the things that need changing.”
On a final note, he said World Ocean Day is significant as it celebrates the importance of the ocean in maintaining humanity’s survival. “If the ocean dies, humanity is doomed.”
Find out how you can join and support Ocean Quest by visiting its website here.