Questions are being raised in rapid succession by various stakeholders on a proposed luxury oceanarium resort on a 33ha parcel of shallows on Mabul island - a 20-minute boat ride from world-famous diving haven, Sipadan island.

sipadan island 130407 underwater WWF Malaysia is against the resort on the grounds that the island is over-developed and warned that tourists are already complaining about overcrowding "which indicates a growing loss of the wilderness value".

The Sabah Environment Protection Society (Sepa) adds that existing facilities on Sipadan are sufficient for divers visiting the area.

The state government, however, defends the oceanarium as necessary to ease the pressure on Sipadan which only allows a maximum 120 divers at one time.

However, it is by no means clear that the project will be allowed to proceed as there are several hurdles to clear.

"The whole idea is to disperse the diving crowd so that it eases pressure on Sipadan," said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Masidi Manjun, who added that he was not defending the construction of the oceanarium.

"The state cabinet only endorsed the Land and Survey Department’s decision to approve the resort’s location on the basis that the project’s proponents carry out rehabilitation and conservation works on the coral reefs in the area concerned.

"The coral reefs in the area have already been destroyed over the last 15 years due to bomb fishing which is illegal," he added.

mabul island sabah "An environment impact assessment is also an important part of the procedures before the project can be allowed to proceed. The process is long. There’s no guarantee that it will be approved. The identity of about 70 percent of the population on the island is also suspect."

WWF Malaysia sees the oceanarium as a non-starter since artificial reefs do not bring back fish and other marine life.

"Damaged coral reefs and the resident fish population can recover simply by stopping the threats that plague them," said WWF-Malaysia communications manager, Angela Lim.

"The resources of Mabul island – the land, the coral reefs and the coastal waters – are already heavily used.

Construction will wreck island

"A management plan for Mabul Island and its resources will be prepared by the stakeholders to regulate development and resource use, in line with meeting government standards and their own standards for sustainable tourism and coral reef fisheries," she said.

Sepa president Wong Tack is against tonnes of construction material being brought in by barges and sand being pumped in from the shores of Mabul Island for the proposed oceanarium.

sipadan island 130407 barge destroy coral construction He recalled an incident at Sipadan in 2006 when a construction barge ran aground and destroyed an area of coral reef spanning three tennis courts.

"A historic gravesite on the island would also have to make way for the project," complained Wong.

"The local Bajau and Suluk villagers, about 2000 of them, would have to be relocated to make way for the oceanarium and they are worried about this."

Details of the oceanarium, which have been made available by the company in charge of the project, a joint-venture of local and Japanese partners, show that the oceanarium will be surrounded by five villages of more than 200 seaview bungalows and semi-detached villas.

The company has applied for a 99-year lease on the 33ha of land facing the south side of Sipadan. It is learnt that so far, the Semporna assistant collector of land revenue, has only approved the project’s location.

It will undergo the normal process, from appraisals to developments plans and will be scrutinised by various departments. Also, the company is yet to undertake the mandatory environmental impact assessment of the project.