Corals, turtles, a classic tropical island paradise far out in South China Sea - Redang Island of Malaysia, would you like to be there?
Even if you were a hopelessly lousy swimmer as I am, as long as you can peer under the sea through a pair of snorkelling mask, you will be enchanted by the marine world...Hey? There's a floating bottle here and a beer can there!
An eyesore, isn't it? Like all tourist locations world-wide, Redang Island and Malaysia is not immune to environmental degradation caused by tourism.
zoom in to see the corals
zoom in to see the turtle
Audio Questions for Redang Island Malaysia
I have a question for you. Since this is the first lesson in the form of audio questions, I will make it easy by giving three objective questions. Simply read the passage Masalah Pelancongan and then click the audio button.
They are so beautiful and full of life...You cannot take off your eyes the moment you see them. While coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate around the world, it is a blessing the coral reefs in Redang island of Malaysia are still thriving. What exactly, is a coral? Read Terumbu Karang Redang
Without coral reefs, you will not see the amazing variety of marine life at Redang island , Malaysia. Among them, I have a soft spot for turtles. I have tasted turtle eggs and turtle soup during childhood. ( Please don't scold me, I was only an innocent primary school kid obliged to eat everything served on the table ) I guess I feel guilty as the plight of the turtles gradually dawned on me. These huge, gentle and hmmm very tasty creatures have to be protected at the Turtle Sanctuary
Selling nature to bring in cash from tourists is a way of saving it. That is, if this provides the local people with income so that they don't have to collect corals and turtle eggs for sale.
Ecotourism is defined as " purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people. "The question now is: To what extend the principles of ecotourism have been implemented in Redang island of Malaysia?
With the fate of Sipadan island in mind, I hope it goes well with Redang.
I was getting tired of the huge amount of commercialism on the topic of Redang island in Malaysia, until I came across a website called Redang.org.
It is refreshing to find reasons and practical advice on showing your caring heart for Redang island ,Malaysia instead of just concentrating on how much pleasure you can get there.
I would like to share with you one of the articles that I like very much entitled :" Why Care for Coral Reefs?" Since the website is in English, I have translated it into Bahasa Malaysia here for you.
You can find this article at
Redang.org
under the "conservation" tab, along with tons of goodies. I hope I have helped you to learn some Bahasa Malaysia as you are getting the best of your visit to Redang island of Malaysia as well.