4 Redang coral sites proposed for 2-year closure after 80pct damage

Pulau Redang's four most damaged snorkeling and diving sites are proposed for a two-year closure to allow the coral ecosystems to recover, according to state officials. The affected locations - Pasir Akar, Pulau Lima, Pulau Paku Besar, and Pulau Ekor Tebu - have experienced severe coral damage exceeding 80 percent. State Tourism, Culture, Environment, and Climate Change Committee chairman Datuk Razali Idris revealed that the proposal came from local resort operators and Reef Check Malaysia, citing both natural causes and human activities as primary contributors to the reefs' deterioration.

Razali noted that while climate change played a role, human actions such as tourists touching or stepping on corals and boat captains anchoring directly on reef beds were the main culprits. He emphasized that while rehabilitation efforts were underway, the recovery process would take time, with planted corals growing only three to four inches in 2023.

Local divers Abdul Muhaimin Hou and Abdul Rahim Abdullah expressed deep concern over the declining health of the reefs compared to previous years, with some areas now nearly 99 percent dead and covered in moss. Razali stressed that the closure proposal aimed to ensure Redang's natural assets could regenerate and remain a sustainable long-term tourist attraction, rather than discouraging tourism.