By Jeff Yong
KUALA BESUT (Terengganu), Sept 10: Oftentimes, many people don’t think much about throwing rubbish into the sea. After all, it’s all one big place and a little rubbish won’t cause much of a problem, they reckon.
But like the popular local proverb of “sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit”, a little at a time can add to much over time.
Sea debris, also known as marine debris, can cause several types of serious damage to the ocean floor and marine environment. Estimates point to that about 70 per cent of all debris and more than 94 per cent of plastics that enter the ocean sink to the bottom. That’s when the problem starts.
Towards this end, Yayasan SALAM Malaysia and Black Eye Scuba Team (BEST) took part in an ocean floor clean-up campaign at Pulau Perhentian, a popular diving and tourist destination off Terengganu, this weekend.
Sixteen scuba divers from BEST dipped towards the ocean floor in an attempt to record and reduce marine debris in the vicinity. They hauled up some 40 kg of marine debris comprising mostly plastic bottles, ropes, shoes and slippers.
In addition, some 100 volunteers under the auspices of Yayasan SALAM, Fuze Ecoteer, Kenanga Investors and villagers from Pulau Perhentian cleaned up Long Beach or Pantai Pasir Panjang, a popular tourist stretch in Pulau Perhentian. They collected items like cigarette butts, plastic bottles and drink cans scattered on the beach. There was also an awareness talk for 130 students of SK Pulau Perhentian on caring for the environment.
Corporate sponsors for the weekend’s effort included Kenanga Investors, Purple Box Sdn Bhd, Yayasan Bank Rakyat and Lembaga Tabung Haji.
Datuk Mior Kamarulbaid Mior Shahid, Senior Trustee of Yayasan SALAM, said this weekend’s endeavour would also not have been possible if not for Kuala Besut state assemblyman Azbi Salleh and Besut District Officer Azran Amin Mazlan who mobilised various government departments agencies to lend a helping hand.
All in all, this noble exercise is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, for now and into the future by ending poverty, improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
“In this respect, it is about enhancing Pulau Perhentian’s tourism potential, improving the livelihood of local fishermen and creating better awareness about caring for the environment by the young, especially in improving waste management and recycling and reducing the impact of marine debris on the ocean floor and marine ecosystems,” said Project Adviser Datuk Zuraidah Atan.
Their entire undertaking is under the auspices of the Dive Against Debris, a flagship citizen-science programme under the PADI AWARE Foundation to drive local action for global ocean conservation.
The Dive Against Debris campaign empowers scuba divers to remove marine debris from underwater, to report data on the types, quantities, and locations of rubbish collected.
The foundation started off in 1989 as Project AWARE by PADI or the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organisation, operating in 186 countries and territories.
It has a global network of more than 6,600 dive centres and resorts and over 128,000 professional members worldwide. In 1992, Project AWARE Foundation became a registered nonprofit organisation with an environmental mission and purpose with PADI continuing to partner with PADI AWARE.
Since the Project AWARE launch in 2011, more than 100,000 divers have participated in Dive Against Debris in 120 countries around the world. They have reported (or some even collected) more than two million pieces of trash by identifying their geographical distribution, hotspots, changes that have occurred over time and marine animal entanglement with the debris.
Under the current PADI Decade of Ocean Action until 2030, Project AWARE intends to get rid of ocean debris by 50 per cent, protect the ocean floor by 30 per cent, multiply marine protected areas for marine life to thrive and protect endangered and vulnerable marine species, including protecting the number of sharks and stingrays threatened with extinction by 25 per cent, accelerate coral reef protection and recovery, and reducing the carbon footprint of divers on the ocean floor.
To give a picture of what harm can ocean debris can do, here are some examples:
Physical Damage: When there is large and heavy debris, such as discarded fishing gear, shipping containers, or concrete blocks, these items can physically damage the ocean floor when they sink to the bottom. This can lead to the destruction of sensitive habitats like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and kelp forests.
Smothering Habitats: Debris like plastics, nets, and other materials that float on the surface at one time or the other can eventually sink to the ocean floor. When that happens and as they accumulate on the seabed, they can smother organisms and habitats at the lowest level of the ocean floor, thus disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems.
Chemical Contamination: Some marine debris, particularly plastics, can release harmful chemicals into the water as they break down. These chemicals can leach into the sediments on the ocean floor, potentially harming bottom-dwelling organisms and affecting the overall health of the ecosystem.
Habitat Alteration: Marine debris can alter the natural features of the ocean floor like creating physical barriers that disrupt the movement of marine organisms or alter the flow of currents and sediment deposition, thus affecting the distribution of species and the composition of the seabed.
Ingestion and Entanglement: Debris like plastic bags, balloons, and other small items can be mistaken for prey by marine animals. When ingested, these materials can harm or even kill animals. Fishing nets and lines from lost or abandoned gear can also entangle marine life, leading to injury or death.
Pollution Transport: Debris that sinks to the ocean floor can act as a transport mechanism for pollutants. Toxic substances attached to debris can be carried to new areas, impacting previously uncontaminated habitats.
Oxygen Depletion: When organic debris, such as food waste or discarded fishing gear, accumulates on the ocean floor, it can lead to increased microbial decomposition. This process consumes oxygen, potentially leading to localised oxygen depletion or “dead zones,” where marine life cannot survive.
Aesthetic and Economic Impact: The presence of debris on the ocean floor can negatively impact tourism and fisheries, which are important economic activities in many coastal areas. Unpleasant ocean debris can drive away tourists while damaged or lost fishing gear can also be costly for fishermen.
–WE