By: Julian Hyde

Reef Check Malaysia is dismayed to learn of more plans for airport extensions on islands off the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia, this time on Redang Island.

In 2019, it was Tioman Island that was the hot topic, with a report in The Sun on October 7 quoting the project proponents that the construction of a new airport there was all but confirmed. The airport would be built on reclaimed land – which would destroy coral reefs directly within the project area and very likely affect coral reefs around the island due to the impacts of siltation disturbed during construction. The airport would directly affect 10% of the island’s western coastline – a 2 km long runway on a 20 km long coastline. Indirectly it would affect a much larger area due to disturbance along the flight path at low altitude. It would also effectively close down tourism operations in two of the island’s seven villages. The plan was that the airport would bring in hundreds of thousands of additional visitors every year…this to an island with insufficient water supply, insufficient electricity, an incinerator that can’t handle the current volume of trash generated, no integrated sewage treatment, very limited road network…

And now we hear plans for an international airport on Redang island – again, an extension of an existing airport.

The arguments against building a larger airport at Redang are very similar to the objections raised on Tioman:

•  Biodiversity: During construction of any marine infrastructure, there will be physical destruction of marine ecosystems in the immediate vicinity of the project site. When coral reefs are damaged by impacts of this magnitude, the biodiversity of the whole reef system declines, fish populations dwindle and a thriving reef community is replaced with a new ecosystem with much lower productivity. Reefs in this degraded condition are also not attractive to tourists.

• Infrastructure: Electricity supply, water supply, sewage treatment, waste management, road infrastructure – all are significant constraints to further development on the islands and for growth in tourism numbers.

• Economics of tourism: Once tourism has grown to a certain size, economic growth usually benefits outsiders as resort development opportunities are beyond the financial capacity of local residents, and large companies are attracted to the destination. Such resort development brings little benefit in terms of jobs to local communities, as large resorts rely on outside workers. Further, large resorts typically offer a comprehensive package of meals and activities, taking away business from local communities who no longer have access to the customers in resorts.

• Tourism trends: Post-coronavirus, tourism industry experts are predicting that mass tourism may never return. The post-coronavirus tourism industry will look very different, with smaller groups looking for nature-based, authentic local experiences in locations where safety and health can be assured. Cities will suffer; islands could benefit – but only if they are able to provide the high quality, small scale tourism experience that future travellers will be seeking.

Malaysia is a signatory of international agreements that commit the nation to protecting its biodiversity. The Malaysian National Policy on Biological Diversity sets out targets to protect biodiversity. Climate change impacts are becoming increasingly real in Malaysia…why are we even considering such projects that benefit few but have the potential to harm many?

We hope the government will carefully review these projects to ensure all the facts are taken into account before decisions are confirmed. Meanwhile, we urge everyone to make their views known by completing the social impact survey that PLAN  Malaysia set up: https://forms.gle/p52KeRXdqMCgu3ro6