7.1 Reef management
7.2 Marine Park management
7.3 Facilities and development management
7.4 Socio-economic management
In light of the extremely high numbers of visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park, and the increasing trends in visitation, further change to increase tourism development and activities at the Marine Park are not acceptable. This is due to the potential negative impacts on the marine environment especially coral reefs, the physical limitations to space already experienced, the inadequacy of facilities available especially toilets, sewage and solid waste disposal, and the increase in visitor dissatisfaction with some aspects of the Marine Park.
This chapter is a summary of some basic recommendations for the management of Pulau Payar Marine Park, which are derived from the findings of this study. The main findings of this study are briefly summarised in Box 7.1.
BOX 7.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
|
Visitor information · Visitor numbers to Pulau Payar Marine Park are increasing tremendously. There has been a more than 5,000% increase in visitors in the last seven years. · The majority of visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park depart from Pulau Langkawi. · The majority of visitors are foreigners; these are mostly from Taiwan and Japan. · The fact that Pulau Payar Marine Park offers visitors an opportunity to dive and/or snorkel is a very important factor in influencing choice of visit. · Most of the visitors to the Marine Park are first time visitors. · All the visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park were on a day trip. · The majority of visitors go snorkelling while in the Marine Park. · The existing trails on Pulau Payar are under-utilised by visitors. · The main complaint from visitors was that there are not enough toilets at the Marine Park Centre. · The majority of visitors found it crowded at the Marine Park Centre, especially at the picnic area. · A large percentage of visitors agreed that an increase in visitor numbers to the Marine Park would affect their enjoyment of the area. · Important factors that contribute towards a satisfactory visit to the Marine Park include clean beaches, an abundance of reef fish, diverse coral life, peace and quiet, friendly and helpful Marine Park staff or Langkawi Coral pontoon staff, adequate facilities and adequate information on the marine environment. · Visitors were more or less satisfied with their visit to the Marine Park, but some aspects brought about dissatisfaction, namely the too high visitor numbers, the lack of guided activities and the lack of information on the marine environment. · About half the visitors surveyed were not aware that Pulau Payar is a Marine Park. · Most of the visitors had not visited other Marine Parks in Malaysia · Not all visitors surveyed were briefed by their respective tour operators on Marine Park regulations. · There is a lack of information on the Marine Park and its surrounding marine environment. · The Marine Park Information Centre is very under-utilised. · The majority of tourists, tour operators and dive operators were willing to pay a small fee for entry to the Marine Park or for participation in certain activities. Tour and dive operator information · The majority of tour operators and dive operators that bring visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park operate from Pulau Langkawi. · Some tour operators include Pulau Payar Marine Park as part of the itinerary of an island hopping trip that includes other islands off Pulau Langkawi, such as Pulau Singa, Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Beras Basah. · The majority of tour operators have plans to expand their operations to Pulau Payar Marine Park, this includes plans to bring more tourists into the Marine Park, to have more boats and to conduct more frequent trips to the Marine Park. · Tour operators are in favour of having the following activities at the Marine Park - videos or slide shows on the marine environment, guided snorkelling activities, nature walks on the island and glass-bottomed boat rides. · Most tour operators complained about the lack of dialogue with the Department of Fisheries and the lack of enforcement on the prohibitions on fishing. · The majority of dive operators felt that there are enough dive operators running dive trips to Pulau Payar Marine Park. Diver information · The large proportion of divers at Pulau Payar Marine Park are novice divers. · Important criteria for divers include good visibility, an experience Dive Master, a well-organised dive trip, an abundance of reef fish and an abundance and diversity of coral. Most of these criteria were met. · Most divers prefer no contact with other dive groups, and includes not seeing other dive boats at a specific dive site. The majority of divers would tolerate up to two incidences of contact with other dive groups and other dive boats. · Marine conservation awareness amongst divers appears to be higher than amongst snorkellers. Reef information · Coral Garden and Pulau Kaca are the most heavily utilised dive sites at the Marine Park. The Marine Park Centre House Reef and Pulau Segantang are also popular. · Reefs with high perceived levels of damage, as assessed by the divers surveyed, are the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef and the Marine Park Centre House Reef. · The diving industry in Pulau Payar Marine Park is relatively unsaturated, however the reefs, especially at the Marine Park Centre and at the Langkawi Coral Pontoon are under pressure from reef-related activities. · The Marine Park Centre House Reef shows signs of coral bleaching, the cause of which has yet to be established. Some potential anthropogenic sources of damage are the high numbers of snorkellers present, boats passing over the reef at low tide and debris from the jetty construction. Similarly, the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef also shows signs of damage. · Some of the reefs, especially Pulau Segantang, have been illegally fished. |
7.1.1 Activities of dive operators
7.1.2 Recommendations for reefs
The reef carrying capacity may be increased where necessary (see Section 6.3.1), bearing in mind that increasing reef carrying capacity does not mean increasing the numbers of reef users, but rather taking appropriate management actions to minimise the degradation of reefs that are exploited for tourism purposes. Options include:
· increasing public awareness
· regulating reef activities
· zonation of reefs
· laying moorings at popular sites
· creating alternatives to diving and snorkelling
· providing artificial reefs
Table 7.1 illustrates some of the strengths and weaknesses of these options, as well as the opportunities that should be taken to increase reef carrying capacity and the potential threats that one needs to be aware of.
The diving industry at Pulau Payar Marine Park is relatively unsaturated. Thus, in terms of diver impact on the reefs, this is minimal and can be easily regulated by responsible dive operators. Crowding on reefs is not a problem either, and diver satisfaction is still relatively high. Although Pulau Payar Marine Park has the potential to be expanded as a diving destination, the snorkelling activities that occur there are pretty much at maximum levels.
TABLE 7.1 - A S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT OPTIONS TO INCREASE REEF CARRYING CAPACITY
|
MANAGEMENT OPTIONS |
STRENGTHS |
WEAKNESSES |
OPPORTUNITIES |
THREATS |
|
Increasing public awareness |
· Ensures acceptance of and compliance with Marine Park regulations |
· Snorkellers not targeted |
· Target snorkellers who form the largest group of reef users, and who are most likely to cause damage |
· Ingrained attitudes and habits may be difficult to counter |
|
Regulating reef activities |
· Ensures detrimental activities do not occur |
· Enforcement of regulations difficult |
· Foster a self-regulatory system among tour and dive operators |
· May reduce popularity and cause conflicts with tour guides and reef users |
|
Zonation of reefs |
· Protects sensitive habitats from damaging activities |
· Zones that are further away may be difficult to police |
· Pulau Payar Marine Park is small and thus easier to establish and police zones |
· May reduce popularity and cause conflicts with tour guides and reef users |
|
Laying moorings |
· Avoids the need for anchoring on reefs, thus reducing potential physical damage |
· Loss of moorings, especially after the monsoon |
· Moor buoys at popular reefs that are utilised by divers |
· Danger of encouraging fishermen to moor at reef areas and fish |
|
Creating alternatives to diving and snorkelling |
· Relieves pressure on natural reefs |
· Requires increased staffing and finances |
· Langkawi Coral Pontoon runs glass-bottomed boat rides and has an underwater observatory |
· Possibility of oil and hydrocarbon pollution from glass-bottomed boats |
|
Artificial reefs |
· Relieves pressure on natural reefs |
· Costly to establish |
· Promote Pulau Kaca wrecks |
|
Thus, further diving and snorkelling activity at the Pulau Payar Marine Park reefs should be discouraged before there is any significant impact on its reefs.
Fees could be charged to the dive operators before they are allowed to use the Marine Park and a limit imposed on the number of individual operators allowed to bring divers into the Park. Dive operators should also limit the number of divers in a group to make organisation and control of divers' activities easier. In addition, a limit should be imposed on the number of boats that a certain dive operator can utilize to bring visitors to the Marine Park.
Dive operators should co-ordinate their schedules such that their activities are dispersed, and that their visits to a particular reef do not coincide. The more tolerant reefs and alternatives, for example the wrecks at Pulau Kaca should be promoted. In addition, divers should be taken to reefs suited to their abilities and experience to maximise carrying capacity.
Dive operators should conduct thorough briefings for visiting divers and snorkellers with emphasis on Marine Park regulations (do's and don'ts) and the importance of marine conservation in the reef environment. Dive operators must recognize the importance of conserving the reef environment on which their livelihoods depend, and a system of self-regulation should be promoted among them. They must be responsible for their customers and not allow illegal activities to occur. To ensure that they do this, perhaps fines could be imposed, not only on offenders who collect shells and corals, but also on the dive operators and boatmen concerned.
Boat crews should be made more aware of the fragility of the reef environment and anchoring on reefs must be strictly prohibited. Boats should not be allowed to beach at the Marine Park Centre or pass over the reef area at low tide. This problem should be eliminated once the new jetty is operational.
Many of the divers to Pulau Payar Marine Park are novice divers or are taking diving courses. Dive instruction and skill exercises should be conducted in sandy areas. Introductory dives should be conducted on a one to one basis whereby one Dive Instructor or Dive Master would be responsible for one student. Introductory dives should also be confined to the Marine Park Centre House Reef and the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef, and new divers kept well away from reef.
In general, Pulau Payar Marine Park should not be further promoted as a dive destination. The level of diving at the Marine Park is sufficient at the moment, with limited impact on the coral reef environment. Diving visitation can be sustained at its present levels. However, certain measures can be taken to further improve management of the reefs and to ensure that the diving activities do not impact adversely on the reefs in future. See Table 7.1 for a summary.
At least one mooring buoy should be sited at each dive site to reduce any possible anchor damage. More use should be made of the various artificial reefs in the group e.g. the wrecks at Pulau Kaca. This could be promoted by anchoring mooring buoys at various points above the wrecks. Introductory dives should be restricted to the Marine Park Centre House Reef and the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef to avoid the possibility of further spreading the diver related reef damage that sometimes occurs as a result of inexperience.
The Marine Park Centre House Reef and the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef are mainly snorkelling reefs and are very heavily used. Snorkelling has evidently damaged these two reefs, and thus activities need to be strictly controlled and policed there to ensure that visitors do not trample on coral, break coral or collect coral and shells. Rest floats should be located at the Marine Park Centre House Reef and Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef for snorkellers, so that if they are tired they can hold on to these instead of trampling on coral. For the same reason, the use of life jackets should be also be encouraged for weak swimmers.
TABLE 7.2 - CORAL REEF CARRYING CAPACITY: STATUS, THREATS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
|
REEF |
HEALTH |
POPULARITY (VISITATION LEVELS) |
HUMAN RELATED THREATS |
OVERALL CARRYING CAPACITY |
RECOMMENDATIONS |
|
Marine Park Centre House Reef |
Moderate |
Very high for snorkelling |
· Trampling |
Moderate |
· Cordon off a snorkelling area |
|
Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef |
Poor |
Very high for snorkelling |
· Trampling |
Low |
· Put in rest floats for snorkellers |
|
Coral Garden |
Good |
High |
· Diving |
High |
· Re-anchor the mooring buoy |
|
Pulau Kaca |
Good |
High |
· Diving |
Moderate |
· Anchor one mooring buoy |
|
Lembu Rocks |
Moderate |
Low |
· Some commercial fishing |
High |
· Anchor one mooring buoy |
|
Pulau Segantang |
Good |
Moderate |
· Commercial fishing |
High |
· Anchor one mooring buoy |
The snorkelling area in front of the Marine Park Centre should be cordoned off for visitor safety and to prevent boats from coming in. This would help eliminate boat-related damage on reefs, which is prevalent at low tide.
Table 7.2 summarizes recommendations for the individual reefs.
7.2.1 Zonation according to use and objectives
7.2.2 Gazettement of a State Park
7.2.3 Implementation of a marine education and awareness programme
7.2.4 Enforcement of Marine Park regulations
7.2.5 Limiting visitor use
7.2.6 Establishing monitoring and evaluation programmes
It is crucial that specific management objectives for Pulau Payar Marine Park are adequately formulated, along with a detailed management plan. Planning and management of the Marine Park should also be integrated into the planning and management of Pulau Langkawi given its close proximity and the potential downstream effects.
Other management actions that can be taken are summarised below (see Section 6):
The Marine Park should be zoned according to its use and objectives (see Section 6.1.). Furthermore, the Marine Park Centre House Reef and the Langkawi Coral Pontoon House Reef should be designated specifically for snorkelling and introductory diving. These zones will have to be continually monitored and evaluated to enable flexibility in designations should changes in reef health and condition occur.
The Kedah State government should complete its efforts to protect Pulau Payar Marine Park by tabling, in its State Legislative Assembly, the proposed Kedah State Parks Enactment to allow the Payar group of islands to be gazetted in its entirety as a State Park (see Section 6.2). Jurisdictional authority of the islands should then be handed over to the Director-General of the Department of Fisheries Malaysia. Inappropriate tourism development should not be allowed; this includes ensuring that no construction of accommodation facilities occurs on Pulau Payar. Land-based pollution problems should also be jointly addressed by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia and the Kedah State government.
A marine education and awareness programme must be implemented at Pulau Payar Marine Park and the Langkawi Coral Pontoon to complement the enforcement and management programme (see Section 6.4). It is felt that with regard to reef users, it is the snorkellers rather than the divers that pose a greater threat to the reefs. They are also the largest group of reef users, hence efforts must be made specifically to target an education and awareness programme at snorkellers. A pre-departure programme should also be initiated in Pulau Langkawi especially, Pulau Pinang and Kuala Kedah.
A visit to the Marine Park Information Centre should be compulsory for all tour and dive groups. The Information Centre should be promoted and improved as it is currently underutilized. A variety of methods should be used to communicate information on the marine environment and on the Marine Park; these include information boards and audio-visual aids. These should be multi-lingual, taking into consideration the various nationalities that visit the Marine Park. Videos and slide shows could be run at regular intervals for visitors, once the new generator is in use. A code of practice for activities like swimming, snorkelling, diving and fish feeding should be formulated and effectively communicated to visitors.
Training courses on marine environmental awareness and Marine Park management should be conducted for both Marine Park staff and the tour operators/guides. Dive Instructors and Dive Masters should educate and personally supervise divers and snorkellers that are under them, as well as provide practical tips. Briefings should be conducted before any activities are carried out.
The education of local residents in Pulau Langkawi, Kedah and Perlis on the long-term benefits of Pulau Payar Marine Park is also essential. A marine education and awareness programme should also be implemented in the local schools.
Marine Park regulations must be strictly enforced (see Section 6.5). This includes regulations regarding the ban on commercial fishing within the Marine Park waters. More patrols, occasionally at night, and especially around Pulau Segantang, should be conducted, to discourage illegal fishing operations.
Random dives can be conducted by Marine Park officials as spot checks, to ensure that divers, dive operators and dive boatmen adhere to Marine Park regulations. In addition, regulations on anchoring need to be enforced, and boats should not be allowed to pass over reef areas at low tide. Tour and boat operators should be encouraged to check tide tables and time their arrival such that they can allow passengers to disembark at the jetty safely without having to pass over the Marine Park Centre House Reef. Marine Park regulations on coral and shell collection must also be adhered to. Fines could be imposed onto offenders, as well as tour and boat operators, who should take responsibility, and not permit their customers to collect corals or shells. A self-regulatory system whereby tour and dive operators are responsible for their customers' actions, should complement Marine Park surveillance efforts, especially at Langkawi Coral Pontoon. Fish feeding activities should be regulated, especially with respect to the type and quantity of food given.
The management of sewage and solid waste disposal should adhere to existing legislation. Discharge of sewage into the sea must be prohibited, and proper disposal facilities should be provided in Pulau Langkawi.
A limit should be placed on the number of visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park as the Marine Park is currently over-utilised at peak periods (see Section 6.6). The existing permit system could be utilized to impose some sort of limit to visitor numbers. Viable options include limiting the number of tourists in a tour group, that is limiting the size of a tour group that may enter the Marine Park; limiting the number of boats that a certain tour or dive operator can utilize to bring visitors into the Marine Park; limiting the number of licensed tour and dive operators that may bring visitors into the Marine Park; and limiting the number of divers in a dive group at any one time. These actions would need a process of consultation with tour and dive operators to obtain a consensus and to enable them to tailor their operations to meet the new requirements.
Monitoring and evaluation programmes should be established for the physical and chemical properties of Marine Park waters such as light penetration, sedimentation, nutrient levels and dissolved oxygen. Biological criteria such as fish, coral and algal cover should also be monitored, as should the impacts offish feeding, the coral bleaching phenomenon and the effects of the Langkawi Coral Pontoon. Also important for monitoring are social factors such as visitor numbers, response to crowding and visitor satisfaction.
7.3.1 Focus of development
7.3.2 Addressing sewage and solid waste pollution problems
7.3.3 Alternative activities
Inappropriate tourism development should not be allowed; this includes ensuring that no construction of accommodation facilities occurs on Pulau Payar. Thus, the best option would be to upgrade and improve existing facilities. Physical carrying capacity can be increased for aspects that are desirable, such as by improving transportation services, having a safe jetty and providing mooring buoys at the appropriate reefs.
There are currently not enough toilets at the Marine Park Centre to cope with the high numbers of visitors; there should be adequate provision of toilet facilities with appropriate associated sewage disposal systems. There needs to be a proper sewage disposal system for Pulau Payar, as septic tanks may not be able to cope with the high amounts of waste generated. Alternative methods of disposal to septic tanks, and their feasibility for use at the Marine Park Centre, should be looked at.
Langkawi Coral must ensure that sewage from the pontoon is transported back to Pulau Langkawi and that sewage discharge at sea is avoided. In addition, should portable loos be introduced by tour operators at the Marine Park Centre, waste should also be transported back to the respective embarkation points. It must be ensured that proper sewage disposal and reception facilities are provided in Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Pinang and Kuala Kedah in order to receive waste brought in from the pontoon as well as possibly from the Marine Park Centre.
Tour and boat operators must bag the solid waste generated by their guests, and ensure that it is properly disposed of in the respective embarkation points. In line with this, proper solid waste disposal facilities must be provided in Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Pinang and Kuala Kedah to dispose of waste brought in from Pulau Payar Marine Park. Continued education of tour and boat operators is needed to ensure that they do not dispose of the bagged waste into the sea. The education of tourists is also essential to curb any littering problems.
A proper solid waste disposal system is crucial for Pulau Payar as the current practice of burning waste is not viable in the long-term. The best option for the island is for the Department of Fisheries Malaysia to bag and transport solid waste back to Kuala Kedah, provided of course that there are proper disposal facilities there. Waste that can be, should be, recycled. A proper education scheme for visitors on the reduction of waste should be implemented, as well as a programme to promote civic consciousness among tourists.
TABLE 7.3 - PHYSICAL CARRYING CAPACITY: ADEQUACY OF FACILITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
|
FACILITY |
ADEQUACY |
RECOMMENDATIONS |
LEAD AGENCIES |
|
Tables and benches at Marine Park Centre |
Inadequate |
· Limit the number of tourists in a tour group |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Dive operations |
Adequate |
· Limit the number of dive operators that can bring in visitors |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Dive boats |
Adequate |
· Limit the number of boats that a dive operator can utilise |
· Marine Department |
|
Tourist boats |
Adequate |
· Limit the number of boats that a tour operator can utilise |
· Marine Department |
|
Solid waste disposal |
Inadequate |
· Implement a proper solid waste disposal system |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Sewage disposal |
Inadequate |
· Implement a proper sewage disposal system |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Electricity supply |
Adequate |
· Ensure adequate transmission |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Water supply |
Inadequate |
· Ensure adequate supply |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Mooring buoys |
Inadequate |
· Anchor more buoys at the appropriate reefs |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
|
Information Centre |
Inadequate |
· Encourage visitors to enter |
· Department of Fisheries Malaysia |
The diversification of activities would help alleviate some of the crowd pressure on the beach and in the water at Pulau Payar. The two paths on Pulau Payar should be further promoted to encourage especially the non-reef users to utilize them and provide alternative recreation opportunities. These paths should be well signposted and should contain interpretative information.
Alternative islands around Pulau Langkawi should also be promoted to disperse visitor pressure on Pulau Payar Marine Park. Islands that are already established as tourist destinations such as Pulau Dayang Bunting, Pulau Singa and Pulau Beras Basah can be further promoted, especially targeted at visitors who are not so interested in going snorkelling in coral reef areas, as these islands do not possess reefs comparable to Pulau Payar Marine Park. Other islands around Pulau Langkawi with reefs should be identified and the feasibility of directing tourists there studied.
Visitor and diver complaints should be addressed to ensure continued satisfaction. Marine Park staff, tour operators and dive operators should be adequately trained in visitor management and relations.
Marine Park staff should hold regular meetings and dialogue sessions with tour and dive operators, to give them an opportunity to voice their opinions, suggestions and grievances. A process of consultation should be initiated for any decisions affecting tour and dive operators, especially with regard to limiting visitor numbers.
The setting up a fee structure for entry into the Marine Park should be initiated to ensure that the revenue earned from tourism benefits the Marine Park as well. Revenue generated from the fees should be used to manage the site, repair damages to the natural resources or infrastructure, or to implement environmental mitigation measures.
Promotion of Pulau Payar Marine Park must be in line with its Marine Park objectives and must emphasise the conservation aspects of the Park. Mass tourism to Pulau Payar Marine Park is not desirable, and the relevant agencies need to ensure that the conservation values of the Marine Park are maintained by targeting tourists who are environmentally aware and responsible.
TABLE 7.4 - A S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS OF SOME TOURISM ASPECTS OF PULAU PAYAR MARINE PARK, INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS
|
TOURISM ASPECTS |
STRENGTHS |
WEAKNESSES |
OPPORTUNITIES |
THREATS |
LEAD AGENCIES |
|
Islands |
· Small islands with limited access points easier to police |
· Inadequate toilet facilities |
· Gazettement of the islands as a State Park |
· Land-based sources of pollution undermine Marine Park objectives and status |
· Kedah State government |
|
Reefs |
· Main tourist attraction for the Marine Park |
· Not adequately protected and managed |
· Can be sustainably exploited for tourism if adequately managed |
· Illegal fishing still occurs |
· Department of Fisheries, Malaysia |
|
Tour & dive operations |
· Only day trips conducted |
· Too many tour operators bringing in too many visitors |
· Limit the number of licensed tour and dive operators that can bring in tourists |
· Too high visitor numbers result in degradatory impacts on the reefs |
· Tour operators |
|
Langkawi Coral Pontoon |
· Unique tourist attraction |
· Activities of pontoon visitors not adequately monitored by the Marine Park |
· Pontoon operator needs to be self-regulatory |
· Pontoon itself may cause adverse impacts from shading and pollution |
· Langkawi Coral |
|
Pulau Langkawi |
· Main source of tourists to Pulau Payar Marine Park |
· Inadequate reception and disposal facilities for sewage and solid waste |
· Ensure adequate sewage and solid waste reception and disposal facilities |
· Development and pollution impacts from Pulau Langkawi ultimately affect Pulau Payar Marine Park |
· Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) |
|
Visitors |
· Visitors arrive in tour groups making visitor management and regulation easier |
· Too high numbers of visitors to Pulau Payar Marine Park |
· Diversify tourist activities |
· Too high visitor numbers result in degradatory impacts on the reefs, a saturation of facilities and visitor dissatisfaction |
· Department of Fisheries, Malaysia |
