There are several things we can do to protect the coastline without reducing the amount of tourist that visit, harming the environment drastically and other negative aspects of management techniques. Some of these problems occuring in Australia are similar to the ones occuring in Pantai Morib. The management strategies that Australia have implemented can be applied to help solve and improve the problems that also faces Pantai Morib. Due tot he fact Australia has a extremely large amount of coast, the ways they manage their coasts are generally very effective, possibly due to a lot of experience and many years of trial and error. Also, through the information I gathered when researching Australian coastlines, I saw a number of strategies that could possibly be implemented to help solve, improve and sustainably management problems that occur in Pantai Morib.
My Recommendations
Pantai Morib currently looks very unappealing, and is possibly the reason why it is loosing tourist and why more aren't visiting. The beach already doesn't have anything that makes it standout like crystal clear waters. Therefore, the surroundings have to look attractive to compensate to make people visit. I believe, with enough attention and proper sustainable management strategies, Pantai Morib can once again be a popular tourist destination.
Problem: Litter
The first and most important step in order to make the beach look more attractive, is to clean it up. This will lead to more tourist wanting to come, which will help the economy. Litter seems to be the largest problem Pantai morib faces shown through the information we gathered. There was an extremely large amount on this small stretch of beach; we didn't have enough time to pick up every single piece of litter, so we probably only picked up 1/2 of what was there. Another thing I observed while on site was the fact that there were very few rubbish bins throughout the beach, which may be the reason why there is so much litter in the sand due to the fact that people are lazy and don't want to marry their rubbish around.
Above: Locals helping to clean up the beach.
Below: Litter on an Australian beach. If these plans are not carried out, litter will continue to pollute the beach which is harmful for animals of aquatic ecosystems due to the process of longshore drift bringing litter to sea. |
Firstly, The local government can help by implementing several new, proper rubbish bins that are regularly cleaned out by hired staff. These bins will give the people who visit an actual place to dispose of their rubbish and might be compelled to actually do it instead of thinking of how they will need to go to the trouble of bringing it home to throw.
Secondly, the starting up a local group, comprised of educated individuals with a concern for the environment. They can put up signs around the beach where there is the most human interaction, to remind people to throw their rubbish away. This group can also go around to different schools to talk about the impacts of litter and possibly start an after school program if children are interested. The group could also hold an event such as 'Clean up Australia Day' but on a smaller scale. For example, one day every few months citizens of Pantai Morib will go to the beach an as a community clean up the beach and get rid of litter. Thirdly, I would recommend that the local government implements in the school syllabus that kids in primary and middle school must be taught about pollution such as litter and how it threatens the environment. Many schools in the area will alternate on a weekly or monthly basis having a few schools go each month. This would be an annual excursion for the school, where the kids will visit the beach and collect litter in groups. This will have a big impact since the kids can see themselves how much litter there is and how it affects the beach. Many are not aware of how bad littering is so If we teach the kids at a young age, they will grow up knowing the consequences and won't do it. They will most likely also pass this message on to their parents and friends when they see them littering to make them stop. This message will also possibly be passed down to future generations. I saw how on 'Clean up Australia Day' children were helping to clean up the beach and thought of how kids in Malaysia are one of the main causes of litter due to lack of education on the consequences. |
Problem: Hard Engineering Techniques
Fourthly, I would like to recommend that the government put in an extra money into rebuilding or refurbishing the sea wall, which is slowly wearing away. This happened before, where the old sea wall eroded so badly that the governement had to build a new one behind/in front of it. If they put a bit more money into this building/refurbishing funds they could get better and stronger materials which would take a longer time to erode so that they won't have to replace it in a few years time.
It would also be a good idea to put gabions in front of the sea wall, for even more protection against the erosive power of the waves, just like the gabbions used in Newcastle, Australia. This would cause less damage to be inflicted on the wall, and the gabions can be replaced regularly due to how cheap it is compared to replacing the sea wall regularly, which is expensive. If this plan is not followed, the sea wall will continue to be eroded and will mean it will have to be replaced regularly, if there are gabions, it will act like a first line of defence protecting the sea wall. Lastly, beach nourishment should be carried out at least once a year. I know that we went in low tide, but looking at previous years photos, the water was quite close to the land. This could be dangerous for the land behind in occasions such as storms. I didn't recommend hard engineering techniques like: groynes, sea walls, revetments etc. because I thought they were ugly and took up to much space. In conclusion, I believe that Pantai Morib Beach has the ability to become a more lively and vibrant beach once again, that will attract more tourists with the help of improvements here and there along with sustainable management strategies that involve: individuals, groups and governments. |
Above: Gabions protecting the coast and land behind it.
Below: A clean beach with no litter.
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What Individuals, Groups and Governments can do?
Individuals: Can make a great impact by keeping the beach clean. Visitors can help by picking up the litter lying around the beach area as well as not littering themselves. Individuals can also raise awareness about the breach and it's conditions and stop others when they see them littering on the beach. Every person counts.
Groups: Groups are communities and are a very important part in protecting the coast. Communities have one big advantage, compared to individuals, which is the amount of people. The more people in a group, the large the scale of work can be completed due to the advantages of numbers. As communities working in groups, they can hold community meetings about awareness and have cleanups programs. The more people, the more effective.
Governments: The Government is the most important group in coastal management. At Pantai Morib the damaged sea defenses, litter are the major problems. Governments must take into account why coastal management is important and frequently check up so they won't need to spend large amounts of money when the time is up. The government must also provide money and services to repair damaged defenses so they can work efficiently.
Groups: Groups are communities and are a very important part in protecting the coast. Communities have one big advantage, compared to individuals, which is the amount of people. The more people in a group, the large the scale of work can be completed due to the advantages of numbers. As communities working in groups, they can hold community meetings about awareness and have cleanups programs. The more people, the more effective.
Governments: The Government is the most important group in coastal management. At Pantai Morib the damaged sea defenses, litter are the major problems. Governments must take into account why coastal management is important and frequently check up so they won't need to spend large amounts of money when the time is up. The government must also provide money and services to repair damaged defenses so they can work efficiently.
Sketch Map With New Reccomendations
Figure 1: Sketch Map with recommendations for Pantai Morib