When science takes a backseat to dollars and cents — Woo Sau Pinn

JULY 5 — Penang once again took to centre stage after a short respite on the issues of the proposed reclamation in the southern coast of Penang Island. The then known as Penang Southern Reclamation (PSR), now has been rebranded to Penang Southern Islands (PSI) that will be jointly developed by SRS Consortium and the Penang Infrastructure Corporation (wholly owned by the Penang state government).

The PSI is poised to create a total additional land area of 1,820 ha spread across three islands. In a different perspective, this translates to the replacement of an equivalent amount of seabed and marine area.

As this massive project is about to kick-off, the latest hurls of criticism and demand for cancellation are led by the young and charismatic Member of Parliament from Penang itself, YB NurulIzzah[1] as well as a federal minister, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar[2] who is the ex-minister of natural resources and environment in year 2017.

Apart from politicians, civil society groups and the fisherman associations have been voicing their strong objection to the project citing environmental and fishermen’s livelihood concerns. The Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Chow Kon Yeow in a rebut published on the 9^th of June[3], outlined the status of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report as well as some of PSI’s obligated offset programmes in terms of environment, fisheries and social well-beings of the fishermenas part of their 72 conditions for EIA approval.
File picture shows an ongoing land reclamation project off the coast of Batu Uban across from Queensbay Mall. — Picture by KE Ooi

Development atthis scale,regardlesson land or at the coastal areas, brings forth theiraspired gains and their associatedcollateraldamages. On one hand, PSI promises the ensuing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) at over RM 70 billion and the creation of at least300,000 jobs, where half of them involves knowledge-based and highly-skilled jobs to power Penang’s engine of growth for the next 30 years[4].

Then again, one may ask, at what cost? Reclamation projects are always associated to the loss in fisheries industry where it can be easily equated to economic value. But beyond that, the cost of losing the different ecosystems in the area is unimaginable or unaccounted for due to their vital ecological services that keeps the balance of nature.

The economic loses that can be accounted for includes permanentdestruction of aquatic-organism breeding ground and fishing in the area for about 4,000 local fishermen amounting to a loss of RM 525 million per year as well as disruption of the 511 aquaculture cages farming activity in the area that produces an output of RM1.67 billion per year[5].

Impacts on the ecosystem includes a certain death of coral patches in Pulau Rimau and possible irreversible damage to the corals in the adjacent Pulau Kendi, destruction of many different ecosystems (mangroves and mudflats) around the area which provides essential ecological services and unfortunately,is unable to be accounted for in dollars and cents.

Now here lies the dilemma of sustainable development for developing nations such as Malaysia. How do we address the needs of economic growth to eliminate poverty, hunger, and unemployment without disregarding the fact that protecting and conserving environment and its associated flora and faunaare mutually essential?

We cannot ignore the demands of the industry but most certainly we should not dampen the woes and cries of the impacted communities of their needs. In any of these decisions, there will surely be winners and losers. No one decision can please nor satisfy all parties. Therefore, it is paramount that decisions on public interest must be guided by science, data, and evidences forming its backbone.

The limited use of scientific and evidence-based information (especially environmental, ecological, and conservation science) in decision-making for physical development of an area are often attributed to the lack of political will, as well as priority towards preserving the environment compared to development. Some opined that there is a lack of access to scientific information and can be blamed on the academics trapped in their ivory towers that have left them detached from the happenings on the ground.

Even some tried, their voices are often drowned due to several hindrances such as the excessive reliance on jargons.One thing for sure is thatwe are not short of credible scientists, social scientists, economist, and even conservationist in universities and relevant NGO’s to serve as experts to voice their opinions. However, our framework of decision-making in terms of development that impacts the environment are very fragmented.

We realise the reality that science informs but fundamentally cannot and does not decide. Ultimately, science is only able to provide the bestoptions, however it proves to be a much-needed guide to decision-makers to eventually make well-informed decisions.

Evidence of science-based decision making in sustainable development of cities are not uncommon. The city of Kitakyushu, Japan is one of the best example how reliance on science and data have transformed a highly polluting city, dubbed industrial wasteland, to become the first Eco Town in Japan as well as the first city receiving UN Environment Programme’s Global 500 award in 1990[6]. By proper use of data and science process, Kitakyushu city are able to revive Dokai Bay, known as the “Sea of Death” where all living aquatic animals were wiped off due to the near zero dissolved oxygen in the bay to a restored functioning ecosystem in the early 1970s, with the returns of numerous organisms[7].  

As of today, the Penang State Government shows no sign of backing down and is adamant in pursuing the reclamation project as reflected in the Chief Minister’s rebuttal.Some of the biggest questions for us to put forward:  will the suggested Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) be sufficient and justifiable to mitigate the loss that we are about to encounter? At worst, will these two plans actually work in the course of 10 years before the first island is completed? In actualfact, nobody will know unless there are detailed scientific studies, continuous monitoring, and transparent reporting being doneto ascertain the effectiveness of the mitigation measures reflected by data and numbers.

Therefore, from now onwards, let us carefully make each decision using evidence-based platforms through the backing of science as we implement this project to ensure minimization of the environmental impacts and considering the welfare of the affected communities. 

Beyond PSI, there are few more mega land reclamation projects in the pipeline including Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone, Tioman Island Airport Expansion, and Widad@Langkasuka in Langkawi, to name a few that has yet to be decided. Perhaps it is time that the nation makes the right decision by seriously considering the opinions based on science, to find the balance between environmental preservation and the pressures of development.

*Dr. Woo Sau Pinn is a lecturer at Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.