Pulau Bidong's Cultural Heritage, Biodiversity Must Be Preserved - Experts

The mesmerising underwater world of Pulau Bidong, a hidden gem for adventure seekers and diving enthusiasts, truly sets it apart. 

Located in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, this tropical paradise renowned for its unparalleled biodiversity and pristine coral reefs, offers a unique and thrilling experience for divers of all levels, attracting adventurers from around the globe.

This writer had the opportunity to explore its beautiful marine ecosystem during the Bidong Summit 3.0 programme, held from Aug 22 to 25, organised by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in collaboration with RHB Islamic Bank Berhad.

Equipped with scuba gear, my fellow participants and I dived deep into the underwater world, filled with extraordinary sights. This activity allows us to step away from our daily routines and experience the sensation of being in a completely different world. It also allows divers to witness conservation efforts and take active steps to protect the marine ecosystem, thereby fostering a sense of responsibility toward the environment.

Bidong Island's ecosystem and biodiversity is also famous for its various types of marine life and various types of marine fauna that are rarely found elsewhere.

Beneath the surface of the blue and slightly greenish water, my eyes were greeted by a stunning underwater landscape, with a variety of marine life offering a truly exhilarating visual experience.

The waters around this island are also famous for a wide range of marine life, including species such as stingrays, clownfish, and groupers that swim among the coral reefs.

Even more fascinating than the larger fish like sharks and mackerel are the nudibranchs (colourful shell-less sea slugs) and sepiolas (a type of squid). This diversity allows divers to encounter a range of marine fauna rarely seen elsewhere.

 The coral reef ecosystem surrounding the 203-hectare island, separated by the South China Sea, is also an important habitat for various marine species, serving as a sanctuary and breeding ground. Algae and seaweed also function as food and shelter for many fish species.

 There are also 11 miniature landmark monuments representing each ASEAN country. Imagine being able to see up close replicas of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur (KLCC), the Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (Brunei), and the Independence Monument of Cambodia in the Underwater Gallery located 10 metres below the sea. These monuments are especially suitable for tourists, particularly scuba divers.

Not far from the jetty area, there is a coral breeding incubator centre managed by the Coral Malaysia Foundation (YCM). Additionally, there are also recreational artificial reefs such as the Batu Bersurat Terengganu, traditional kris, and sampan, placed at a depth of around 15 metres underwater as alternative diving sites for scuba divers.

Due to its unique ecosystem, Pulau Bidong has been gazetted as a State Park by the Terengganu government to protect the marine treasures and historical relics from the damage that could be caused by uncontrolled tourism. Therefore, the limited access set for Pulau Bidong is to comply with the carrying capacity involving the number of visitors allowed daily.

RICH HISTORY

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research & Innovation at UMT, Prof Dr Marinah Mohd Ariffin, said the Bidong Summit 3.0 is a continuation of a similar programme launched in 2022.

This time, the programme emphasises the empowerment of the country's underwater cultural heritage, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG 11.4), which focuses on protecting and preserving the world’s cultural and natural heritage, as well as the Value-based Intermediation principles set by Bank Negara Malaysia.

Armed with scuba breathing equipment, programme participants dive to explore the underwater world full of uniqueness.

“UMT is collaborating with RHB and the Department of National Heritage (JWN) to enhance the country's underwater archaeology programme, as UMT is the first university in Malaysia actively involved in underwater archaeological excavations, offering the necessary experience and expertise.

"Bidong Summit 3.0 will also focus on establishing Malaysia's first National Underwater Archaeology Training Centre (PLAN), where one of the PLAN components is the creation of a simulated underwater archaeology training site here," she said, adding that the site will provide initial exposure to divers who will be involved in excavation and artefact rescue programmes from real underwater archaeological sites.

At the simulation site, RHB, as a strategic partner of the programme, contributed two of its used ATM machines to be Datum Points for the underwater archaeology training simulation site.

According to Marinah, a datum point in archaeology is a fixed reference point used as a starting point for mapping and recording discoveries and archaeological features at a site, whether on land or underwater. The chosen datum point at an archaeological site is usually a permanent marker whose coordinates are recorded.

Once the datum point is established, archaeologists will use it to create a grid system that divides the site into smaller units for systematic excavation and recording.

Various valuable artefacts found in the Bidong Shipwreck need to be well preserved and restored.

The use of a datum point is also crucial for maintaining consistency and accuracy in the archaeological excavation and site recording processes. All artefacts retrieved must be recorded and registered with the management of JWN.

"This is the first programme of its kind in Malaysia, with two simulated underwater archaeology sites being created—one on land and one in the waters near the research station at a depth of eight metres.

 "This time, the programme also coincides with the Independence Month celebration through a Malaysia Book of Records event for the first ATM Datum Point in Malaysia for the Underwater Archaeology Training Site at UMT's Diving School (Pulau Bidong)," she added.

Associate Professor Dr Hazrizal Shaari, Director of UMT’s Centre of Research and Field Services (CRaFS), said the centre aims to realise the establishment of PLAN by around 2025, as it involves several phases, starting with the preparation of the simulated archaeology site.

“The second phase is expected to begin around October with the creation of an ex-situ conservation site not far from the location of the Bidong Shipwreck, which is about 2.5 km from the UMT research station. This is to provide the same environment for all artefacts rescued from the real archaeological site. Additionally, ex-situ conservation techniques will save time, energy, and costs related to artefact conservation from shipwreck sites.

“This differs from the conventional conservation process, where artefacts retrieved from archaeological sites are brought back to land and must undergo desalination processes to prevent damage due to salt crystal formation in the cavities of the artefacts. Furthermore, the conservation technique itself involves relatively high costs," he explained.

So far, more than 400 artefacts have been discovered from the Bidong Shipwreck, identified as originating from the ancient Thai kingdoms such as Si Satchanalai from the Ayutthaya kingdom and Maenam Noi from the Sukhothai kingdom, as well as Blue-White Porcelain from the Ming Dynasty, China. The Bidong Shipwreck proves that trading activities were not limited to the coastlines of the South China Sea but involved larger-scale trade activities.

SYMBOLIC GESTURE

Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of RHB Islamic Bank Berhad, Datuk Adissadikin Ali, said the two used ATM machines donated by the bank can be considered one of the corporate institution's initiatives to assist the government and relevant agencies in continuing to be aware and cooperate in preserving and conserving the country's underwater cultural heritage.

He said the ATM machines were chosen as datum points at the simulation training site because they can symbolically represent that the marine ecosystem and all artefacts within it are extremely valuable and must be preserved as best as possible.

Managing Director and CEO RHB Islamic Bank Berhad Datuk Adissadikin Ali (right) together with Director of UMT’s Centre of Research and Field Services Assoc Prof Dr Hazrizal Shaari (left) officiating the datum point at Bidong Summit 3.0.

“As a banking institution, RHB also needs to consider the best steps to help protect such cultural heritage, which is certainly important for the benefit of future generations. Moreover, this aligns with our original goal of creating the Ocean Harmony SDG14 Life Below Water initiative, which has been expanded to encompass UN SDGs related to the sustainability of marine biodiversity.

"Additionally, RHB has other initiatives to involve the community in marine sustainability activities.mFor example, if a customer wants to open an RHB bank account, a fee of RM15 will be charged for the account opening process and debit card issuance (entirely using recyclable materials) under the Ocean Harmony Penyu initiative. Account holders are also requested to contribute a minimum of RM3, which will be directly donated to UMT, which is directly involved in this programme," he said.

For this programme, the bank also organised the Bidong Merdeka Dive in conjunction with the Independence Month celebration through activities such as collectively raising the Malaysian flag on the water's surface and hoisting a giant Jalur Gemilang flag measuring 20x10 metres on the beach to further ignite patriotic spirit among the 60 programme participants.

APPRECIATE OUR HERITAGE

Meanwhile, JWN Director-General Mohamad Muda Bahadin, said the department highly welcomes strategic collaborations with more parties interested in empowering the country's underwater cultural heritage.

According to him, the responsibility of preserving such cultural heritage cannot be shouldered by only a few parties, as it is a national heritage protected under the enforcement of the Cultural Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645).

He said heritage can generally be divided into four categories: cultural heritage, natural heritage, underwater cultural heritage, and living heritage personalities. Cultural heritage can be further broken down into tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Among the BERNAMA staff who had the opportunity to join 60 participants in the recent Bidong Summit 3.0 to explore the beauty of the island's underwater world.

“Underwater heritage obtained through exploration and archaeological excavation operations can be categorised under tangible and intangible underwater culture. All these heritages require protection, including legal and enforcement measures, and definitely, the cooperation of all parties from various backgrounds.

“For those involved, we will establish memoranda of understanding (MoUs). For example, we have an MoU with UMT for underwater archaeology projects, as they are the only university in the country with the required expertise.

“We can also disburse funds from the Heritage Fund, as per sections 20 and 21 of Act 645, to those interested in participating in our programmes," he said, adding that the government has also introduced various other initiatives, including the Cultural Sector Boundary Grant (GSSK) for the benefit of registered NGOs promoting marine sustainability programmes, as well as tax exemption initiatives.

Mohamad Muda, who is also the Heritage Commissioner, also said, thus far, there is interest and planning from the Terengganu state government and UMT, specifically to establish a gallery or museum to display such artefacts, as there is currently no such museum in the country to exhibit and share these valuable underwater treasures with the public.