“There will be physical destruction of marine ecosystems, principally coral reefs, at the site,” Julian Hyde, general manager for coral conservation group Reef Check, said.
Hyde told FMT the group opposed the new airport for three reasons: to protect the island’s biodiversity, the livelihoods of the residents, and Tioman’s tourism industry.
He said the project will mostly favour developers and big corporations, but would threaten the livelihoods of all local resorts and businesses.
“As the market develops, and larger resorts open up, providing the full range of services, tourists will no longer use local suppliers but use in-resort facilities instead
“To add insult to injury, large resort owners often employ staff from outside the island, reducing the opportunities for local islanders to work,” he said.
Two of the seven villages on Tioman will be affected by the development of the new airport, Hyde said. The island is home to more than 400 people and already boasts 22 resorts.
“Those livelihoods will be gone, and those resorts will be gone at a time when more visitors are projected. The math doesn’t add up,” he said.
He also said the island does not presently have adequate infrastructure and facilities to support the influx of tourists the new airport is set to bring.
Mass tourism never ends well for most tourist spots, Hyde said, citing as an example the Boracay Island in the Philippines, which had to be shut down for six months in 2018 after it became a “cesspool” filled with untreated sewage.
“There is tourism revenue, but at the expense of the island’s biodiversity,” he said.
Instead, the conservation group wants the government to focus on improving and upgrading the existing airport, as well as the island’s drainage system, waste treatment and power grid, which have been causing issues.
The proposal is to locate the new Tioman International Airport on the west coast of the island between Kampung Paya and Kampung Genting, separated by a low hillock or headland, according to the EIA report.
The project aims to provide direct flights to and from airports in Malaysia, Asean countries, India, China and Australia.
“The new airport is proposed to provide an alternative, straightforward and faster mode of travel to Pulau Tioman for tourists, as well as welcome more tourists,” the report stated.
The report also acknowledged the potential environmental impacts of the project, The Star reported.
It warned of possible physical damage and habitat loss for marine life during the quarrying and reclamation phase, while artificial lighting would disrupt photosynthesis.
As a result, the report contained a marine conservation and rehabilitation plan, which included creating four relocation sites and two coral farms before construction begins.
Hyde criticised the efficacy of the plan, stating there have been many studies proving that moving coral reefs does not work.
“That mitigation measure is inadequate to protect biodiversity,” he said.
To compensate for the potential loss of tourists as the project begins construction, the report recommended offering incentives in the form of tourist tax reductions to resort operators and local businesses.
Although the government has done its due diligence by producing the EIA report, Hyde said the decision to build the new airport should be reviewed.
“The report is flawed because it is based on the presumption that whatever impacts are identified can be mitigated, and I’m not convinced that is correct,” he said.