Rising 625 metres above sea level, the conical-shaped island of Pulau Tinggi is surrounded by turquoise, crystal clear waters. This idyllic island, framed by white powdery beaches dotted with caves, is noted for its coral reefs which teem with marine life.

Pulau Tinggi, which lies 32km southeast of Mersing, Johor, was nicknamed the “General’s Hat Island” by Chinese seamen hundreds of years ago. Of Johor’s 13 islands, the more notable ones being Pulau Aur, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Rawa and Pulau Besar, Pulau Tinggi has the highest peak and is one of the few islands with its own fresh water source.

          Gazetted as a marine park in 1994, Pulau Tinggi is a one-stop centre for nature lovers. The wonders of the marine world and the rich flora of the tropical rainforest can all be found on this island, whose many caves made it an attractive stopover for smugglers more than 600 years ago.

           With so much to offer, Pulau Tinggi was the natural choice for the launch of Malaysian Nature Society’s environmental awareness programme for schoolchildren.

The MNS, with the cooperation of the Marine Park Unit of the Fisheries Department, recently organised an environmental and marine education programme for 25 schoolchildren aged between eight and 12, from SK Pulau Tinggi. Ford Motor Company sponsored the three-day programme.

MNS drew up three modules for the programme under the following categories: mangrove, marine and terrestrial. The modules aim to educate the children and create awareness about the environment, its importance, and the vital role the children play in sustaining the ecosystem.

“The children may have seen the mangroves, corals and plants in the rainforest but few understood their significance,” says I.S. Shanmugaraj, MNS’ education officer.

Pulau Tinggi, off the coast of Johor, is teeming with marine life, and for some,
it is also a haven

Fun in the forest 

Under the terrestrial module, the children were taught to identify the different flora in the rainforest and the organisms that live in the stream. 

While the module was a general one, Shanmugaraj says it can be applied anywhere. “We make it fun so that it will be interesting for the children.”  

Throughout the one-and-a-half hour trek through the rainforest, Shanmugaraj pointed out the many plants and insects that the group came across. He explained the relationship between the animals and plants, and their importance.  

The children were asked to collect various living things that they found in the streams. Some of them came back with a terrapin (labi-labi) which was later released into the stream.

Thanks to the efforts of the Pulau Tinggi villagers, the island remains free of pollution.

“Catching the terrapin was a stroke of good luck,” says Shanmugaraj. “It means that the water in the stream is not polluted. We explained this to the children. The terrapin was a good example to show why conservation of water resources is important because aside from the terrapin, there are other organisms which live in the streams. 

“Most of the children talk about the fishes in the sea and how to catch them, but they do not know much about the rivers and streams, and the organisms that live there.  

“The water striders and backswimmers … for some of the children, this is the first time they are seeing these insects which live in the streams and rivers, even though they have been in their backyards all this while. We hope to instil a love for nature in the children so that they will want to know more and explore the environment on their own.” 

Shanmugaraj adds that SK Pulau Tinggi has also been selected as a member of MNS’ nature club for schools. As a member, the school is given a logbook for the students to record any new findings or sightings of birds or plants. The data will then be sent to MNS. Students are also encouraged to submit articles on their findings to the society’s in-house magazine.

Under the marine module, the children went snorkelling and were taken on a guided walk on the beach.  

For the children, this was their first attempt at snorkelling, and they had lots of fun. They were taken to Pulau Mentinggi, opposite Pulau Tinggi, for the snorkelling session which was conducted by MNS scientific officer Abdul Wahab Abdullah. 

Wahab reminded the children to take note of what they saw underwater as later they would have to present it in drawing. 

“I explained to the children the origin of corals and their importance to the marine ecosystem. Many fishes such as the grouper and snapper use corals as their breeding ground, so it is essential to care for them.” 

For the guided walk, the children were asked to collect things that they found on the beach which included pieces of corals, seashells, seaweed and crabs. It was to deepen their understanding of the organisms that live in the sea.  

Later in the evening, the children had the opportunity to release baby turtles into the sea, courtesy of the Fisheries Department.  

“We hope that the children will understand the importance of giving any marine life a chance to live. In the future, if they should see any turtles stranded on the beach, we hope they will do the right thing,” explains Wahab. 

“Some of the children have told us that they have seen dugongs. We explained to them that this is because of the large seagrass bed near the island, and dugongs feed on seagrass. We highlighted the importance of seagrass to the children.” 

For the mangrove module, the children were brought to the mangrove areas around the island. They did water quality checks and were taught to identify the different mangrove species by checking the root, tree structure and fruit.  

The children learnt about the importance of mangroves in supporting a wide food-chain, as habitats for crabs, fishes and worms, and in checking erosion of the coastline.  

And what do the participants have to say about the three-day programme? 

Zakiah Shahrom, 12, who was selected as the best female participant, best sums up the children’s experiences. “Now we realise how important it is to conserve the environment, and keep our island clean and pollution-free because it is also home to many types of living things. We learnt to recognise different types of plants and fishes; in fact we learnt to identity everything we saw during the programme. My friends and I enjoyed the programme very much. It was great fun. We hope we can do this more often,” enthuses Zakiah.

Pulau Tinggi’s pristine beauty can perhaps to attributed to the efforts of village headman Rahaman Ali, or Tok Mok as he is fondly referred to. 

As village elder for the past 12 years, Tok Mok feels strongly for the welfare of his 270-strong community. 

The 50-year-old, who has an affinity for the island where he has lived all his life, is wary of rapid development which compromises the island’s natural beauty. 

Tok Mok understands the importance of conservation and the benefits it provides, especially to the island’s economy.  

“There is a need to expand the island’s tourism industry and this can only be achieved through promotion and development. Everything must be done with careful planning, keeping in mind the preservation of the environment. We need the help of the state government to make this work,” he adds. 

Currently there are two resorts on the island, one in Tanjung Balang and the other in Pasir Panjang. 

Tok Mok’s seriousness in preserving the island’s natural beauty is evident when he explains that motorcycles are not allowed on the 14.5 sq km island.  

“The noise pollution may become a nuisance to tourists, and motorcycles might leave traces of oil and grease on the beaches, too. Tourists have also been banned from trekking up the mountain for the past four years.  

He explains this was because they were faced with waste (rubbish and human waste) problems which were polluting their water source.  

“The state government can help us by building more artificial reefs. These barricades can prevent trawlers from coming too near the island. Without the trawlers, the fish population will increase. In the long run, this is good for tourism and our fishermen,” says Tok Mok. 

“The villagers are all behind me. What is good for the village is good for them too,” he adds.