Evidence by a team of 18 Dutch, American and Malaysian marine scientists point to Semporna having the world's highest marine biodiversity - more than in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the hitherto top spots.more...
The World’s Highest Marine Biodiversity
Evidence by a team of 18 Dutch, American and Malaysian marine scientists point to Semporna having the world's highest marine biodiversity - more than in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the hitherto top spots.more...
Long Waiting List For Sipadan Visit
KOTA KINABALU: Sipadan Island remains the favourite dive spot for tourists with a waiting list that stretches up to seven months, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun said.more...
New Dive Spots In Sabah
Sipadan Island in Sabah needs little introduction as a diving site of extraordinary appeal and is especially renowned for big fish encounters, wall diving and drift dives. However, the popularity of this “untouched piece of art” as Jacques Costeau once remarked, has overshadowed other equally fascinating dive sites in the area.more...
New Fame Brings Danger To Semporna
KOTA KINABALU: Professional divers in Sabah are ecstatic over Semporna’s newly-discovered status as the richest marine biodiversity spot on earth but worries over the fate of the eco-system of the region.“We need to protect Semporna and Darvel Bay even more now, resources permitting, and not just rely on the government,” said American diver Randy Davies who, along with some locals, pioneered the now famous Borneo Divers in Labuan.
Tourism Threatens Islands In Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s islands are popular with tourists because of their pristine waters, according to Masidi Manjun, minister of tourism, culture and environment. More than half a million tourists make a beeline for the islands of Manukan, Mamutik, Sapi, Sulug and Gaya which make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. They are attracted to the stunningly colourful corals, fish and other marine animals. But pollution from rising plastic trash, lavish feeding of fish with commercial fish food and tourists’ penchant for eating shark fins are killing corals and other marine life.
Sabah, Borneo Is Safe For Tourists
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Air Travel Booms In Sabah, Borneo
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is Malaysia’s second busiest after Kuala Lumpur's. It serves almost 5m passengers a year compared with Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s 30m. And it’s getting busier: national carrier Malaysia Airlines will make its eastern operational hub there in November which will see more flights from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Thousands of cheap air tickets were snapped up at a recent travel fair in Kota Kinabalu that has signalled a travel boom buoyed by a stronger ringgit against the American dollar and other currencies.more...
Artificial Reefs Spell Riches From The Sea
t 90, Timbang Matudin is one of Binsulok’s oldest fishermen. He beamed at the barge loaded with reinforced concrete structures that look like half-completed terrace houses. He and the other fishermen watched cheerfully as deputy chief minister Yahya Hussin launched 18 of the artificial reefs into the sea. These giant cubes weighing 34 tonnes each are home to marine life. In about four months, they will be teeming with the much prized grouper, snapper, sting rays, sharks and other fish that will give 330 fishermen like Timbang a good living.more...
Steering Panel Set-UP for Tun Mustapha Marine Park
Kota Kinabalu: Efforts to gazette the Tun Mustapha Park received a major boost following the first meeting by the Interim Steering Committee for the park at the Le Meridien Hotel here on Feb 1.more...
Turtle, Dolphine And Sharks Take To The Stage
Kota Kinabalu: A three-week Coral Seas Roadshow in Semporna and here reached 4,000 primary pupils and adults on the importance of conserving coral reefs, said its organisers.more...
Proposed Tun Mustapha Park To Be Gazetted
Kota Kinabalu: An important milestone has been achieved towards the gazetting of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) when an intern steering committee for the TMP was formalised through its first meeting at Le Miridien Hotel on Feb 1.more...
Action Against Illegal Fishing Methods
TAWAU: Traditional fishermen here have appealed to enforcement authorities to step up patrols to check the use of illegal fishing methods in waters off the east coast.more...
Sabah Rules In Sea Life
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Sabah Government Protects Sipadan
I WISH to applaud the Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun in taking a stance to maintain the 120 daily dive permits quota despite an increase in demand, “No extra permits for Sipadan†(The Star, Dec 29).more...
Increased Fish Population In Sipadan
SEMPORNA: Fish population around Sipadan, a world-renowned diving spot off here, has further increased following the Gov ernment’s move to restrict the number of tourists and prohibit the setting up of resorts on the island five years ago.more...
Semporna: Borneo Megadiverse Reef
SEMPORNA: A team of scientists has announced that Borneo’s Semporna reefs may be the most biologically diverse in the world. The group, which included marine scientists from Malaysia, the USA and the Netherlands, encountered nearly 900 species during their three week exploration.more...
Marine Ecological Research Centre
“This is called the chocolate chip starfish. Look at the brown spots on its skin!”“Looks very much like chocolate chips!”
Sarah, a volunteer at the Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC), held the starfish firmly in her hand.
Kota Kinabalu Is Ok For Diving
For a spot of diving in a place within reach of civilisation, Kota Kinabalu’s Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is just swell.more...
Semporna: The World’s Richest Marine Biodiversity
The preliminary results of the Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition (December 2010) indicate that Semporna may have the world's highest marine biodiversity. The expedition yielded a record number of 43 species of mushroom corals. Furthermore, some new species were discovered, among which at least two shrimps and possibly a number of gall crabs.more...
95% Of Reefs In Region Facing Threats
SANDAKAN: Ninety-five per cent of reefs in South East Asia are on the threatened list, according to findings from surveys in 1998 and 2008 prepared by the World Resources Institute.more...
Pulau Sebatik Another Tourism Attraction
TAWAU: Pulau Sebatik, an island known for being bisected by the Indonesia-Malaysia border, is being considered for development as one of Tawau’s main tourism destinations.more...
Mabul Chalets Razed
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Living: Guardian Angle Of Sipadan
What do Clement Lee and Jacques-Yves Cousteau have in common? RIDZWAN A. RAHIM finds out.
Go: A Diver’s Paradise
Sipadan is the country’s only oceanic island and the Government has taken drastic steps to protect this national treasure, writes RIDZWAN A. RAHIM
Studying Migration Patters Of Sea Turtles
KOTA KINABALU: The Marine Research Foundation (MRF), a non-profit conservation agency based in Sabah, recently deployed satellite transmitters on five juvenile turtles from Mantanani island to identify the migration routes and nearshore habitats favoured by the turtles, which can then drive management and conservation activities.more...
Sabah’s Marine Park: Turtle Islands
Turtle Islands off Sabah's northeastern coastline is one of the best destinations in Malaysia for encountering some of the country's unique marine wildlife. On most evenings, scores of turtles crawl onto the soft sand that fringes the islands to lay their cache of eggs. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is witnessed by select groups of nature lovers privileged enough to visit the island group.
Sustainable Development Of Marine Life
Conserving and protecting the environment for future generations. Is this is myth, or do we, as residents of Sabah, really subscribe to this? With recent buildup surrounding the newly-launched Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), there is renewed faith in ‘sustainable development’.
Say No To Shark Fins
Kota Kinabalu: A joint effort to change the mindset of the people into dropping shark fins soup from the menu by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Tanjung Aru, the Green Connection Aquarium and Science Discovery Centre received official backing from Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.more...
Kota Kinabalu Is Ok For Diving
For a spot of diving in a place within reach of civilisation, Kota Kinabalu’s Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is just swell.Mention scuba diving in Sabah, and people are likely to think of Mabul or Sipadan.
Environment-Friendly Artificial Reefs In Sabah
SANDAKAN: The waters at Batu Sapi, near Pulau Shanghai, will be the second location in the country to be installed with environment-friendly artificial reefs produced by Sirim.more...
Rethink Sabah Coastline Projects
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) has urged the state government to relook all coastline projects following the recent tsunami in Japan.
Sabah: Earth Hour Fiesta March 26
KOTA KINABALU: Sutera Harbour Resort welcomes public to participate in its Earth Hour Fiesta at the Marina Boardwalk, Sutera Harbour Marina and Country Club, on March 26.Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun is scheduled to officiate the event, which will start from 6pm to 10pm.
A ‘Greens Rating’ For Hotels
KOTA KINABALU: by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Tanjung Aru."One of our strategies is to get hotels to be on the 'Green Hotel' listing to signify support for the State's efforts to protect and conserve sharks.
Fish Bombing - An Environmental Issue
FIFTEEN-year-old Ravyna Jassani from Selangor recently came to Sabah as part of the Special Pangaea Borneo Project led by famed world explorer, Mike Horn.
Kudos To Sabah Govt For Protecting Sipadan
I WISH to applaud the Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun in taking a stance to maintain the 120 daily dive permits quota despite an increase in demand, “No extra permits for Sipadan” (The Star, Dec 29).more...
Islands Off Semporna To Have Solar Electricity
SEMPORNA: The Federal government has approved an allocation of RM15 million to develop solar electricity supply on seven islands off Semporna that will benefit 15 villages, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said recently.more...
Deep Sea Tuna Fishing In Sabah
LAHAD DATU: Deep sea tuna fishing in Sabah will take off soon with the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) expected to play a big role in the maritime industry.more...
182 Unnamed Sabah Islands Given Names
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Sharks In Sabah Waters Are Diminishing
The shark population in the waters off Sabah is getting smaller and this is mainly due to shark finning activities.DIVERS' logs in Sabah are beginning to show fewer sharks. “In 1996/97 when I first came here, we did a lot of surveys to see what the issues and problems were and what we could do about them,” says marine biologist Steve Oakley.
1,000 Turtle Hatchlings Released At Mabul
KOTA KINABALU: Scuba Junkie, a dive operator inclined towards the preservation of turtles at Mabul Island off Semporna has released more than 1,000 turtle hatchlings since it began the turtle hatchling project a year ago.Company director Richard Owen told press members during a conference held in conjunction with the Mabul Marine Week (MMW) 2011 that this was the first ever recorded data collected of the turtle hatchlings released to the sea on the island.
Move To Limit Number Of Visitors To Mabul
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah may impose a limit on the number of visitors allowed daily at another of its popular diving destination, Pulau Mabul.Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Bolkiah Ismail said a study will be conducted to look at the need for implementing a policy similar to that at Pulau Sipadan to reduce the pressure caused by tourism activities on the island’s highly diverse and sensitive ecosystem.
Sabah Wants Ban On Shark Fishing
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah, known for its world-class dive sites, is seeking to ban shark fishing to protect the species, which draws thousands of tourists each year.more...
Food Operators Rebuff Sabah’s Proposed Shark Hunting Ban
KOTA KINABALU: Restaurateurs here are questioning the Sabah government's proposed move to ban shark hunting.Describing the proposal as “not making sense”, Sabah Restaurant Association chairman Lim Vun Chen said sharks should be allowed to be harvested like any other marine creature.
State Tourism Minister Wants Evidence Turtle Eggs Came From Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun wants the Terengganu Turtle Sanctuary Advisory Board (TTSAB) to furnish evidence that indeed the turtle eggs found sold at their markets came from Sabah.more...
Sabah's Coastal Areas Are Safe
SANDAKAN: Sabah's coast is safe with no robberies or security-related incident to date this year, said Sabah General Operations Force (GOF) Commander, SAC Ahmad Marzuki Mohd Saad."On the whole, security is under control and we will continue to work with other agencies to ensure the whole of Sabah's coast is monitored," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the handing over of duties of between the incoming and outgoing commander of the GOF's 15th Battalion, here, Wednesday.
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Tun Mustapha Park - The Largest In South East Asia
SANDAKAN: Efforts to proclaim new parks in the state are being carried out actively, said Sabah Parks Board of Trustees director Paul Basintal.The process to gazette several new parks in the state, such as the waters off Sipadan Island and Tun Mustapha Park in Kudat are being intensified, he said.
