The World's # 1 Ecosystem in Marine Biodiversity

Extract of entry in my pocket book The Land of Mt. Kinabalu . 2nd Edition, available at http://lulu.com/spotlight/alpeusstephen

Evidence by a team of 18 Dutch, American and Malaysian marine scientists point to Semporna District in Sabah as having the world's highest marine biodiversity. They confirm the 'paradise' on Earth tag which TIME magazine used to describe Darvel/Semporna Bay. This was announce at a press conference, December 20, 2010.

The members of the Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition 2010 spent three weeks including about 1,000 hours underwater in December to examine and explore the reefs of Semporna, a priority conservation area, and documenting the species richness there for mushroom corals, reef fish, gall crabs, ovulid snails and algae.

Initial coral counts show Semporna leads the pack with the highest coral diversity compared to other study sites in the 5-million square kilometer of the Coral Triangle. So, if the Triangle is epi-center of global marine biodiversity, the Darvel/Semporna Bay is now practically identified as actually the 'apex' of the Coral Triangle.

Where a high richness of Mushroom corals was found, was also usually found an extremely high richness of other corals as well because Mushroom corals can be used as proxy (representative) for other coral richness.

In a roving census of fish counts, the fish team of the group encountered 844 species. The count for reef fish was 777 species at online citing; 90 over for coral shrimp species and about a 100 over for algae species, the all-important base of the food chain group of organism.

The scientists stated that while Semporna is a world-class diving site and destination, it is also within the Coral Triangle and therefore the world's top hot-spots for marine biodiversity. And this scientific detail of its diversified ecosystem is new and also updating a report first made by a British marine scientist Dr. Elizabeth Wood in the early 1980s for WWF. The report said the same thing. Professional divers and amateur divers also said it. Everybody knew it is the best in the world and this is attributed to Semporna's rich mix variety of reef types and habitats namely fringing reefs and pre-atoll reefs, dubbed the Borneo Barrier Reef, and the oceanic island reefs of Sipadan. It is no surprise then for other sites with names like Boheydulang (which is now an atoll, but was previously rims of a massive volcanic crater), Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking, Roach Reefs and Ligitan Group.

Sabah Parks co-purview Sipadan Island, the top diving spot, as it is within the 300 sq. km. Tun Sakaran Dandai Marine Park, and the natural heritage is managed for benefitial fishing, tourism and aquaculture in the district of Semporna.

Some of the organisers, namely the Department of Zoology, NCH Naturalis, Netherlands (represented by Dr. Bert Hoeksema, and as expedition leader); WWF-Malaysia, and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) conducted the expedition with participation, among others, from Old Dominion University, USA; Sabah Parks, Sabah Fisheries Department and including the owners of MV Celebes Explorer, the live-aboard boat.