Losing the battle to plastic in Semporna
Published on: Sunday, July 09, 2023
By: Leonard Alaza
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Plastic wastes in a village on mainland Semporna.
This is, however, just a glimpse of a massive money-making tourism industry which is one of the key pillars of Sabah’s economy.
Further out in the Sulu Sea, on the beautiful islands surrounded by crystal clear waters and precious yet fragile biodiversity, tourism money exchanges hands in much larger amounts. Activities such as scuba diving, which is what Semporna is most famous for, and island accommodation are not cheap.
But it is the price visitors are willingly pay to experience this little patch of paradise on the planet, and they keep coming and coming. Ka-ching!
While everything is looking good with tourism making a steady comeback after Covid-19, there are concerns that the business-as-usual profiteering inevitably puts a huge pressure on marine biodiversity in Semporna. The word “Semporna” actually means “perfect” in English.
Up until now, the district and its surrounding islands are still portrayed as Sabah’s amazing little paradise in the east luring visitors like fish to bait. However, having seen with their own eyes the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean, some visitors commented that the area was more like a “paradise lost”.
No one could disagree with them.
But, if the district could speak, her most immediate and impending threat by far is just a fish bomb throw away. One blast can irreversibly destroy precious parts of her – the foundational coral reef itself, that are critically important economic contributors to the State.
As the “poster child” for Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, fish bombing is just one of several very serious threats to tourism development and environmental protection in Semporna and Sabah in general.
Enforcing the laws might not be enough to deal with fish bombing. Communities must have a sustainable alternative source of livelihood and the new source of food on the table. (Pic: Stop Fishboming)
There are suggestions that putting the blame entirely on fish bombers is unfair. Poverty and having no other means to provide for their large family is the number one reason for them to resort to using a destructive method of fishing – such stark contrast – indeed, direct conflict to so many others coming to see this incredible marine resource thriving around them.
With bellies to fill, no science can ever convince them to understand the enormously damaging impact on life below water – their very source of food – from their action unless they are offered an alternative.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s transformative promise to leave no one behind offers hope for this vulnerable and marginalized group. More than half a century ago and earlier, there was just the Bajau Laut and the ocean in this part of the world.
Then down the years, Sipadan was ‘discovered’ and celebrated as ‘an untouched piece of art’, and with that, introduced Semporna to the world. The area gradually became a goldmine and for better or for worse, the Bajau Laut had learned to co-exist with their newly arrived neighbours.
As the latter prospers thanks to the goldmine that Semporna is, stakeholders have realised that the original communities, the Bajau Laut, cannot be left out in the economic value chain. Ignoring or demonising them would only perpetuate the destructive fish bombings.
EU funded project on community-action for fish-bomb-free Semporna
An innovative four-year programme, funded by the European Union and led by the Semporna Islands Project and WWF-Malaysia aims to address the problem, among three big challenges faced in the area.
The programme, Community-Action for Fish-Bomb Free Semporna Seas, basically sees the need for incentives and community action to drive behaviour change, combined with effective detection of fish bombing incidents.
The programme also provides skills and training in culture and ocean farming of giant clams and abalone to provide an alternative livelihood for island communities.
Twelve Semporna Seas Community Action Groups will be established throughout the area to take these initiatives forward.
Fish bombing is illegal but has been carried out in Sabah for at least half a century and has profound negative impacts on the health, productivity and value of coral reefs, marine resources and human well-being.
The goal is to substantially reduce fish bombings through technical innovation and community engagement in sustainable alternative livelihood programs in Semporna.
The EU Ambassador to Malaysia H.E. Michalis Rokas was down in Semporna recently together with German Ambassador to Malaysia H.E. Dr Peter Blomeyer from 6th to 10th June to witness the initial phase of the projects.
“This is part of the Coral Triangle, which is a world heritage,” Rokas told the Daily Express, emphasizing the importance of Semporna and its waters and why the EU chose to fund projects in the area.
Rokas (third right), Blomeyer (fifth right), Christopher (third left) and WWF-Malaysia among those attending a meeting with the Semporna District Officer during their visit.
He said he was aware of the environmental challenges caused by fish bombing and plastic pollution as well as issues faced by the communities.
He was pleased to learn from discussions with the authorities, civil societies, and NGOs that there was solid commitment to address the challenges.
“It’s been an eye opener for me and the German Ambassador. We’ve seen and heard about the challenges, and we want to know how the EU can assist further,” he said.
Of the three linked outcomes of the EU-funded program is a “plastic neutral” project entrusted to Blu Hope, a local NGO, to pilot.
Plastic pollution has increasingly become a global nightmare. Plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water continues to grow sharply and could more than double by 2030, according to an assessment released by the UN Environment Programme (Unep).
The report states that there is however the know-how to reverse the mounting crisis, provided the political will is there, and urgent action is taken.
District Officer of Semporna, Alexander Liew, reportedly expressed the willingness on the part of the local government to join force in addressing the issues.
He was quoted in a report saying: “Semporna’s coral reefs are amongst the most important in Malaysia and the area’s marine resources are of immense value. We strongly support this local initiative to stop destructive fishing, properly care for the marine environment and bring benefits to local communities.”
The programme will not only tackle the huge issue of plastic pollution in the Semporna area but open up opportunities for recycling and repurposing the waste into products with value.
Marine waste management and its adaptability to the tourism industry in Semporna is needed to create value that would benefit communities.
Blu Hope is tasked to carry out awareness and mobilise plastic waste collection in the twelve action groups to kick start ‘plastic neutrality’ in Semporna.
Being Plastic Neutral means that for every amount of plastic created, a measured equivalent of plastic waste is recovered and removed from the environment by an individual or company through recycling/waste management efforts or plastic offset credits.
“In the case of Blu Hope, we aim to create a more sustainable commercial plastic life cycle as part of a circular economy,” Blu Hope founder, Simon Christopher, said.
“Our primary goal is to develop a more sustainable way of life for Semporna’s Island communities by creating a new commercial plastic value chain as part of a localised, circular plastic economy.
For every kilogram of plastic removed from the ocean, the communities will be incentivised. We will then innovatively turn them into products like building materials, and low-cost housing with new plastic products replacing wooden water villages, jetties – in turn, helping reduce deforestation at the same time as cleaning up Semporna.
Naturally, this programme’s core partners will be those organisations already actively participating in this space, such as Uncle Chang, TRACC and Amwil to name a few, but to succeed, Semporna Plastic Neutral needs to be as ‘inclusive’ as possible because literally every single person living within and/or visiting Semporna uses, and is affected by plastic waste” Simon said.
The project ties well with efforts to make Sabah fish-bombing-free.
Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia, an organisation that has been hard at work to put an end to this destructive fishing method, understands that technology and enforcement capabilities will not solve the problem entirely.
Stop Fish Bombing’s Managing Director, Terence Lim said:
“Communities must have a sustainable alternative source of livelihood and the new source of food on the table via plastic waste will enable them to find new ways to embrace the poorest stakeholders’ needs”.
The success of this pilot project is hoped to be replicated in all other districts in Sabah and if proven to work, the entire state will ultimately become plastic neutral.
This project is the first of its kind and potentially the world’s first in that, once fully funded, it will meet all of UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals at the same time.
Photo for illustration purpose only – showing plastic waste getting washed onto the beach.
All eyes will be on Sabah if and when this becomes a success as the entire world is committed to the fight against plastic pollution.
“As hopefully Sabah becomes fully Plastic Neutral following Timor-Leste together with Bali and other key locations within Coral Triangle across UN Oceans & Restoration Decade; collectively, these ‘beacons of hope’ will be great exemplars for the rest of the world to watch, follow, and support.”
Heads of State, environment ministers and other representatives from 175 nations, endorsed a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi on Wednesday to end plastic pollution, and forge an international legally binding agreement, by the end of 2024.
The landmark resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.
Michalis Rokas, who had made a fact-finding mission to Sabah last year to understand the challenges faced by the state, was pleased with the authorities’ commitment to overcome them.
“I think across the board, there’s a big commitment to address challenges such as waste management, reduction and removal of plastic from the ocean, stopping fish bombing and how to regulate overfishing.
As for the EU, we have a lot of know-how and expertise (to support local actions),” he said.
German ambassador to Malaysia, Blomeyer, also said that his country would examine how to assist in cleaning up Semporna from plastic pollution.
“The amount of plastic I saw in Semporna and in the islands are unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Some initiatives have been taken to deal with the problem and I think they deserve the support from the EU, and Germany is a member. But this is just the beginning and it’s a complex problem to deal with.
Some problems need technical solutions which I think Germany can offer. After all, we also have the obligation to contribute to the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss and the threat of plastic pollution,” he said.
Having visited several parts of the state, Blomeyer said he was impressed by the beauty that Sabah has compared to other parts of the world. For this reason, he said the state’s natural assets must be preserved for the benefit of the future generation.
Conclusion
The journey toward plastic neutrality in Sabah, starting from Semporna, is mission critical not only from the tourism industry and conservation point of view.
Plastic pollution impacts people’s health, environment and livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries, and for Sabah, ranked the poorest state in Malaysia, this problem only rubs salt to the wound.
The program is important for it will help lessen the impact of plastic pollution on people living in poverty through reducing use of plastics, and by seizing the opportunity to create improved livelihoods within a circular economy in plastics.
A circular economy is not just about fixing environmental mistakes that man has committed, though: evidence shows it can bring big opportunities and positive impacts across all industries, sectors and lives.
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