Pulau Sibu (MY1) team submits baseline survey data
December 27, 2016
A very interesting report from our team in Pulau Sibu was released today.
The report is based on in-depth interviews of community members of the island of Pulau Sibu in eastern Malaysia.
In the waters off the coast of this island is a sizable population of dugongs that are protected by a gazetted marine park.
The locals express some frustrations about the park – particularly the lack of enforcement.
Some other items of interest:
-while the park extends 2 nautical miles into the surrounding seas and restricts fishing within this zone, local fisherman only have access to small boats/engines that often cannot travel beyond the boundaries due to rough seas.
-the local community is aware of the presence of dugong and hope they bring them economic prosperity from tourism, but remain skeptical.
-anecdotally, the local fishermen believe the number of dugongs and extent of seagrass has decreased over the years.