Saving the coral reefs off Melaka

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia hawksbill conservation programme in Malacca has initiated patrol on the nesting beach to deter harassment of nesting turtles and poaching on highly accessible beaches. For example, Padang Kemunting and Pengkalan Balak are dotted with holiday chalets and eateries that are also a source of light, noise and garbage pollutions.

CORAL reefs are sparsely found along the Straits of Malacca. Known areas with coral reef ecosystems are Pulau Payar Marine Park, Pulau Langkawi Archipelago and Pulau Perak in Kedah, Pulau Sembilan and Pulau Jarak in Perak, and Tanjung Tuan also known as Cape Rachado which has a shared border between Negri Sembilan and Melaka.

Coral reefs are generally poorly-developed in the Straits of Malacca because of the highly turbid water which is widely attributed to coastal development. High levels of suspended materials combined with relatively strong tidal currents result in poor penetration by sunlight into the coastal waters.