Local communities vital component in dugong conservation efforts
MERSING: The making of a documentary on dugongs touched 18-year-old Nur Azza Syahirah Asmadi so deeply that she decided what she wanted most was to pursue a career in the field of marine science.
She was among a group of students and teachers at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Mersing, here, who were involved in the production of the special video titled “Conservation of Marine Life” two years ago.
The Department of Marine Parks Malaysia (JTLM) was the brainchild behind the documentary which, besides educating students on the importance of conserving the nation’s underwater living treasures, also drew light on the dugong as not many Malaysians were aware that this gentle and unique sea mammal existed in Malaysian waters and were facing the threat of extinction.
The documentary also includes a poignant segment depicting the discovery of a dugong carcass on Pulau Sibu Marine Park, which is a part of the bigger Sultan Iskandar Marine Park (TLSI); its subsequent burial on the nearby island of Pulau Tinggi by the state authorities; and the excavation of its skeletal remains two years later by JLTM. In fact, about 50 students of SMK Mersing, including Nur Azza Syahirah, had the privilege of assembling those very bones and recreating the dugong’s skeleton or frame during the Marine Life Conservation Carnival held at the school at end-2014.
Nur Azza Syahirah, who is now awaiting her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results and hopes to pursue her marine science studies at either Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) or Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, said being part of the team that assembled the dugong skeleton and participating in the making of the documentary was an eye-opener for her.
“Only then did I came to know what a dugong was and why it had become an endangered species. In fact, I gained so much information (about the dugong) that even now I share my knowledge with my friends,” she told Bernama.
Incidentally, the dugong skeleton that she and her schoolmates helped to assemble is now displayed at JTLM’s office in Mersing.
Meanwhile, the “Conservation of Marine Life” documentary, which also shows the students assembling the skeleton, has now become part of a module for the teaching of geography at SMK Mersing.
Its principal Zaliha Ismail said it was JTLM’s idea to produce such a video and the school gave its full support. Since issues like preserving the environment, including the marine ecosystem, have been incorporated into the geography subject, the video has become an additional teaching tool.
“It makes learning more interesting for the students,” she said of the documentary, adding that it exposed students to the dugong and information pertaining to its habitat, where it is found in Malaysia and the government’s conservation efforts.
For schools like SMK Mersing that are situated in areas close to dugong habitats, the documentary -- produced with the cooperation of Pusat Kegiatan Guru Mersing, UKM’s Marine Ecosystem Research Centre and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) like MareCet -- is seen as a vital tool to create more awareness among the students and teachers on the existence of the sea mammals and the necessity of saving them from extinction.
A total of 14 out of SMK Mersing’s 1,160 students hail from Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi, whose waters are said to have the highest concentration of dugongs in Johor.
According to Zaliha, many of the students’ parents were either fishermen or worked in the tourism sector. Statistics from the Department of Fisheries Malaysia show that the dugong population in the waters off Johor was estimated at 40 to 50, while Sabah and Sarawak have about 20 to 30 of them.
Besides the documentary, SMK Mersing is collaborating with JTLM on other projects as well, all aimed at enhancing awareness on environmental sustainability.
One of the projects involved the setting up of a mini information centre at the school with information on marine life presented in 3D format, in a bid to attract the attention of the students.
JTLM director-general Datuk Dr Sukarno Wagiman said his department worked closely with state authorities, government agencies, NGOs and local communities so that they could actively participate in its dugong conservation agenda.