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Sipadan Island - Conservation
Sabah and its
surrounding waters have been recognised as a marine turtle sanctuary
since the opening of the Turtle Island Parks on its east coast. Managed by Sabah Parks, the beaches within the park welcome nesting
green and hawksbill turtles every night all year round. Similarly,
the Wildlife Department monitors and protects nesting green and
hawksbill turtles that visit Pulau Sipadan's shores. Go nearby Pulau
Mabul, the Fisheries Department, in conjunction with Sipadan Mabul
Resort, have sunk hundreds of concrete pipes to form small
artificial patch reefs surrounding a small wooden shipwreck A fish
poaching vessel was also sunk off the island of Pullen Lankayan and
already hosts a myriad of creatures from the smallest ghost pipefish
to the giant stingrays and schooling barracuda.
Sipadan Water Village on Pulau Mabul. is also actively engaged in
coral reef research Dive masters and instructors are encouraged to
study bath the fish and coral life in detail in collaboration with a
Japanese Natural History Museum. Each year, in June, the dive
centre's management and outside guest speakers run a specialized
Marine Day and provide hands on lectures to guests sharing their
studies' and encourage them to take part in their coral relocation
and growth studies so that divers may learn more about the coral
reef environment.
Gayana Island Eco Resort located on Polar Gaya has a Giant Clam
Rehabilitation Centre and also runs a "Reef Project". Here
they have a coral growth nursery and conduct clam induced spawning.
Giant clams are one of the many marine species that have become
endangered around Sabah in recent years. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (DMS) runs an
extensive marine research program especially into alternative mariculture programmes designed to reduce fishing intensity
and illegal fishing methods from
Sabah's coral reefs. Giant clams, groupers and Napoleon wrasse are
some of the subjects grown and bred in specialised farms They also
run a whale shark research programme, each year when the whale sharks
pass through the waters close to Kota Kinabalu they attempt to tag
the sharks to document their migration routes. Each year PADI
Project Aware Beach and Reef cleaning events are run to heighten
public awareness in the importance of a clean marine environment.
This has become a popular event with all the Dive Resorts and local
people participating.
Source -Sabah Tourism Board
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