Marine eco-tourism in Brunei

By Edwin Eng & Azim Ghani

Eco-Tourism can help the Brunei economy by generating revenue and jobs if it is sustainably developed, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdillah bin Haji Abd Wahab yesterday when he opened a seminar on "Marine Biodiversity of Brunei Darussalam: Potentials and Opportunities for Marine Eco-Tourism Development" at the Caesar Hall, Orchid Garden.

The seminar, organised by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, aims to disseminate information regarding marine biodiversity of Brunei Darussalam as a result of the rapid survey on the coral reefs areas, exploring opportunities for the marine eco-tourism development and to promote awareness on the need to protect the coral reefs and habitat of Brunei waters.

In a welcoming speech delivered by the Director of Fisheries, Hajah Hasnah Ibrahim, she said that "with the Declaration of the Brunei Fisheries Limits in 1982, which came into effect on the 1st January 1983, our fisheries resources management's jurisdiction is up to a 200 mile-limit."

"The department has planned in the long-term for the provisions of physical facilities and infrastructure. It is hoped that the seminar can start to create awareness about our marine biodiversity and spur enthusiasms to harness the potential for marine eco-tourism development," she added.

Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdillah bin Haji Abd Wahab who is also Chairman of the Brunei Tourism Board, said, "The Ecotourism sector if developed sustainably can help the economy by generating revenue and jobs. Tourist regions in many countries now rely on ecotourism as the primary source of revenue. In the area of opportunities and potentials for marine eco-tourism development, the Marine Ecotourism sector today is a large chunk of the global tourism market, which considered the largest industry today, worth at 20 billions Euros worldwide and employing more than 10 per cent of the global work force. It is thus important to accept the fact that this tourism traffic is increasing in the near future and increasingly, national governments such as Costa Rica and Australia are supporting the ecotourism trade for its benefit to both their country and their visitors."

He added, "I would like to urge both the Fisheries Department to also begin programmes to create awareness among the public, especially relevant stakeholders, regarding the harmful effects of certain fishing practices, with Issues like coral reefs bombing, cyanide fishing and ghost fishing. These practices can be considered as 'serious crimes' in our waters although currently it seems that Brunei Darussalam is not much affected by these practices. This is a good beginning since from now on, we are promoting marine eco-tourism and we should be concerned about conservation for our marine biodiversity."

Five working papers presented by five speakers comprise of a well-known coral reef fish expert from Conservation International, an expert from Scubazoo, a prominent company in underwater photography, two experts from Indonesia and an expert from Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd.

The Fisheries Department in anticipation, received feedback from seminar participants in supporting the development of marine eco-tourism sector in this country and at the same time increase awareness on the importance of conserving and managing marine biodiversity in Brunei waters.

The seminar has drawn over 100 participants locally and from abroad.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
.