Natural beauty of mysterious Pulau Merambong
Source: www.nst.com.my, 23 December 2010
By Sim Bak Heng

HERE'S a simple geography test to see if you are Johorean enough: Do you know which island off the Johor coast shrinks to half its original size during the high tide? Clue: There are about ten graveyards on the island.

It seems there is also a great mystery surrounding the island named Pulau Merambong.

The island is better known to environmentalists and researchers than to the general public. But, it has yet to be established as an eco-tourism destination despite fulfilling the criteria.

Nevertheless, many researchers agree that Pulau Merambong and its surrounding waters in the Johor Straits is a treasure trove of bio-diversity.

The lush meadow of the sea-grass bed stretching from the island right up to the estuary of Sungai Pulai not only provides food but is also home to marine creatures.

These creatures include crustaceans, fishes, molluscs and sea worms.

They feed on different types of seagrass that comes in shapes of a spoon, fern and a bunch of grapes.

The seagrass is truly extra-ordinary. From a distance, the exposed seagrass during low tide appears like a floating meadow in the middle of the straits. It's certainly a spectacular sight to behold!

Visitors here can see the villagers in Gelang Patah and the aquatic meadow zone catch fish, prawns and crabs, and collect molluscs during low tide.

Sometimes, these villagers also pick up the starfish and sea cucumber.

The dugong and seahorse also make the seagrass bed their breeding ground. However, of late, the seahorse population has declined rapidly due to illegal fishing. If you catch a glimpse of a sluggish dugong or better known as sea cow, count yourself lucky.

The dugongs have a particular liking for the softer spoon seagrass (Halophila ovata) and fern seagrass (Halophila spinulosa).

The island is also rich in history, geological remnants and tales of mystery. The most popular story narrates that pirates who hijacked merchant vessels in the Straits of Malacca buried their loot in the wooded area of the sheltered island.

There is evidence which could support this tale, as there are more than five large holes in a wooded area believed to be excavated by people looking for the treasures.

Geological remnants in the form of rocks are aplenty in the coastal areas.

For some people, the appearance of the rocks looks eerie because of the oxidation of ores found in the quartzite rocks.

The rocks also reflect a slimy green colour due to the moss growing on its surface.

The jagged rocks which come in different hues reflect the colourful nature of the island.

What about the island's mystery? Well, no one knows any of the descendants of the deceased buried in these graveyards.

However, one finds the graveyards well-maintained, which suggests that family members do come and pay their respects to their dearly departed here.

It's learnt that decades ago, the folk of Gelang Patah buried their dead on the island.

The local folk believe that it was a preventive measure to stop wild animals on the mainland from digging up bodies from the graves.

Pulau Merambong has all the makings of an ideal eco-tourism destination. However, this will only become a reality if the authorities support the idea.

It's time to explore the eco-tourism opportunities to help diversify the existing tourism resources in Johor.

However, it should not be at the expense of the environment. What's natural should be left that way.

Pulau Merambong is documented in Echoes of Life.

The book contains photographs taken by Vincent Chow, the author of the book.

He is adviser to the Malaysia Nature Society (Johor branch) and the book was a collaboration between the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and MNS Johor branch.

One of the most endangered natural eco systems in Malaysia and around the world are wetlands. Within this grouping, mangrove forests, defined by early naturalists and visitors to the tropics as ‘the land between land and sea’, are a fast disappearing forest type. MNS has also estimated that Malaysia has lost almost 50% of its mangrove forests over the past decade.

This sets stage for collaboration that brings us Enhoes of life, Sg Pulai and Beyond. A partnership between a port developer cum manager and Malaysia’s most respected environmental group, the MNS via its Johor Branch set out on a commendable journey to document and create awareness of Malaysia’s Sg. Pulai eco region in the hopes of capturing the natural history of the area before its too late.

From the onset, this 212 –pages coffee table book sets the stage for conservation and has interpreted it with simplicity. Thought-provoking quotable quotes, amazing images and the sheer volume of information, both old and new are brought to light in easy succession. Large prints and site specific information pertaining to species identification makes this publication an important updated resource from the hobbyist to learning institutions and policy markers.

Johor is noted for its national parks and Ramsar sites and with a combination of about 700km2, it also accounts for the third largest mangrove forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia with an area estimated at 167km2. It is therefore no wonder that pages and pages of this exciting book covered almost all facades of the area from its vegetation, wildlife to the various stakeholders involved. Most noteworthy is the commentary from MNS Johor on the need to conserve this previous resource and the commitment by the Chairman of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas himself – to which conservationists and the good people of the area will certainly hold PTP to.

This publication therefore is a proud feat not only for Johoreans but for the country. It is hoped that with insurmountable information, current and future generations will be inspired to study, appreciate and ultimately conserve of our natural heritage.

Nature’s bounty
by Michael Hoe Guang Jian
Source: thestar.com.my

Echoes of Life: Sungai Pulai And Beyond
Author: Vincent K.K. Chow
Publisher: MPH Group Publishing, 212 pages

IF you want to know more about one of the most beautiful natural places in Malaysia, then Echoes of Life is the book for you.

The author Vincent K.K. Chow reveals the natural wonders of Sungai Pulai Forest Reserve, Pulau Merambong and Merambong seagrass meadow, all found in south-west Johor. With the book, a collaboration between the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Malaysian Nature Society Johor, the author aims to educate people about the importance of conserving the natural environment of these places.

Echoes Of Life reveals some of the amazing and unusual flora and fauna found in these habitats – from the many species of crabs and mudskippers that scurry through the mudflats to the endangered seahorse that makes its home in the seagrass bed, and diverse mangrove flora ranging from great mangrove trees to smaller plants like ferns.

On the island of Merambong, you will learn about how rocks on the island’s coasts were formed and about sealife living at the fringes of the island, such as seaweeds, marine worms, starfish and sea cucumbers. Offshore, there’s the wondrous seagrass meadow, an expansive underwater forest that brims with life, including seahorses, pipefish and seaweeds.

The book also gives us insight into the lifestyle of the Seletar people, or sea gypsies, who depend on the mangrove forest for food and other resources; sadly, modernisation is threatening their livelihood. Charcoal is produced from the mangrove timber but its production is declining because of dwindling forests.

The sea gypsies have several methods of finding food in the mangroves. These include ibau picking and empangan (dam) fishing. The picking of ibau shellfish involves looking for the breathing holes of the bivalve which lives deep in the soft mud. The collector then digs through the holes in order to get to the ibau, before washing it and checking if it is broken (for fear of contamination).

The people resort to empangan fishing when other fishing methods yield low catches. A net is set up in an inlet during high tide. Fish and crustaceans that swim through the inlet are trapped by the net at low tide. Small sections of the inlet are blocked, one length at a time, before the water is stirred, forcing the marine life to surface for air. They are then hand-picked from the water.

The book contains few words but makes up for it with many beautiful pictures; they are breathtakingly real, such as the photos of the endangered mangrove pitta and flat-headed cat.

This book presents plenty of interesting facts about mangroves and seagrass meadows, and reminds us that the first step in conservation is learning about the environment that we wish to conserve. From this book, I learn to better appreciate mangroves. We must all conserve our natural environments because they provide safe havens for many endangered species and for migratory species like terns and ospreys. They also provide resources for the local people, like food, charcoal and building supplies, which will all decrease if the environment is degraded.

The information in this book is well presented. All in all, a great book to read, especially if you are a nature lover.

Snippets of our environment
by Su Aziz, 30 April 2010

Toppling the mountain of books on environment Su Aziz has on her desk, the five below have a restful and informative way of relating to most.

Echoes of Life, Sungai Pulai and Beyond (hard cover) by Vincent Chow, Port of Tanjung Pelepas & Johor's MNS 209 pages / MPH publishing - it's a terrific effort brought on by a collaboration of authors and photographers. This coffee table book features inhabitants of three locations in south-west of Johor; Sungai Pulai Mangroves, Merambong Island and Merambong Seagrass Meadow.

Apparently, this is a first recording of the floral and fauna of these three areas and it also includes Man's exploitation of the resources available there.

Strange, unique creatures of both land and sea along with rocks and flowers, are captured between these pages as do the virtually unknown Merambong Island and its plush (if one can say that), pebbly beach.

Did you know that we have otters? Well, according to the book, we do and they're terribly endearing!

This book is available in all MPH stores.