The Sarawak Reef Ball Project, implemented under the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, is an initiative aimed at supporting marine conservation through the deployment of reef balls along a 1,000km stretch of Sarawak’s coastline from Tanjung Datu to Lawas.
Playing his role in marine conservation
For Wilson Mapus, managing director of Dasanrama Sdn Bhd, being involved in the Sarawak Reef Ball Project (SRBP) is his greatest achievement thus far in his career.
The RM70 million project, implemented under the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), is an initiative aimed at supporting marine conservation through the deployment of reef balls along a 1,000km stretch of Sarawak’s coastline from Tanjung Datu to Lawas.
In collaboration with SFC, Dasanrama Sdn Bhd plays a key role in the production and deployment of these reef balls for SRBP, having been authorised by Reef Ball Foundation — an international environmental non-profit organisation — to use their reef ball patent.
“The state government placed their trust in me to produce the reef balls for SRBP under Projek Rakyat.
“I am indeed very happy and grateful to be involved in this project, especially because I have always had an interest in marine matters,” said Wilson in a recent exclusive interview with New Sarawak Tribune.
During his childhood years growing up in his village, he had often spent his free time swimming and diving at the nearby river.
Wilson lauded SRBP as a noble endeavour for the sake of future generations as well as a way to uplift the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Aside from its core conservation goal, he pointed out that the project would also have a positive impact on other economic sectors.
“Other economic sectors such as tourism would improve, which would also benefit accommodation and transportation businesses.
“The positive results of SRBP may not be immediately seen now, but rather it is continuous for our future generations,” he said.
He said this project is also in line with Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s vision for the state.
How it all began
The idea of implementing reef balls here in Sarawak was first initiated way back in 1998, with one of the key icons being Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Amar James Wong.
Sarawak was then the first in Asia to use these environmentally friendly reef balls, aimed at conserving marine life, particularly sea turtles.
For Wilson, his involvement in the reef ball initiative first started in 2000, when he along with over 20 other companies were invited to participate in a training session by Reef Ball Foundation in Kuching.
Following this, he applied and obtained his licence as an authorised reef ball contractor in Borneo in 2005, allowing him to use the patent from the Reef Ball Foundation.
Currently, he is the only remaining company involved in the production of reef balls in Sarawak.
Apart from SRBP, he has supplied reef balls to Pulau Layang-Layang, Pulau Labuan, and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in Sabah.
From 2013 to 2015, through the Biodiversity, Environmental and Conservation (BEACON) Project, Petroliam Nasional Berhad’s (PETRONAS) subsidiary company MLNG Sdn Bhd and SFC deployed 1,500 units of artificial reef balls across Similajau National Park waters off the coast of Bintulu.
Then, in 2018, SRBP kicked off.
Producing reef balls
Wilson said that in the production of reef balls, guidelines from the Reef Ball Foundation must be followed.
“We have to get the mould and accessories from the foundation, and some of the raw materials used are also from the United States of America,” he said.
He explained that reef balls were produced using a mix of raw materials including concrete and microlite gravel from the granite family, which is hardier than limestone gravel. In addition, sugar and other additives are used.
“The holes in the reef balls are very unique and they are formed using polyform balloons,” he said.
He said reef balls have an average lifespan of over 500 years.
“Once the reef balls are placed in each location, gradually coral will grow over them and eventually cover them entirely,” he said.
For SRBP alone, he said Dasanrama had produced more than 14,000 reef balls to date, adding that production is still ongoing daily.
“The production of a total of 16,800 reef balls for SRBP is expected to be completed by June this year,” he said.
Challenges and hopes
Wilson said due to the rising cost of transportation and handling charges, the cost of producing reef balls had increased over time.
“In terms of production, the cost and availability of raw materials is a challenge, but we have managed to overcome it by ordering them in advance.
“For instance, there is a lot of limestone gravel in the market, but granite gravel is very limited, and we have to use this specific type,” he said.
Meanwhile, in terms of deploying reef balls, he said one of the key challenges was the weather.
“Sometimes, the team may plan to be at a location to deploy reef balls over a period of one week, but this timeframe can extend to one month due to unfavourable weather conditions such as storms and strong waves,” he said.
He pointed out that this extra time at sea would certainly incur additional costs.
Nevertheless, Wilson emphasised the importance of overcoming all these challenges effectively to ensure the success of SRBP.
He also hoped that similar endeavours in the interest of environmental conservation would be implemented in the future.
