Despite assurances, reclamation threatens Middle Bank marine sanctuary in Penang

The Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee (ProtectKarpal), representing residents from multiple residential communities in the affected area, stand united in our deep concern over the proposed land reclamation project off Karpal Singh Drive, which threatens the proposed ecologically vital Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.

Despite assurances from Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow that the project will not encroach on the sanctuary, scientific evidence and expert analysis strongly suggest otherwise.

The Penang Institute, the state’s own think tank, has published a report “Protecting Penang’s Marine Biodiversity: Establishing the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary” emphasising the sanctuary’s ecological significance and the urgent need for its protection. Yet the chief minister’s stance contradicts its own findings.

Sanctuary of global importance

According to the report, the Middle Bank marine sanctuary spans 10 sq km in the Penang Channel and is home to 429 species, including:

This sanctuary is a natural defence system for Penang. Its ecosystems – seagrass beds, mudflats and mangroves – provide coastal protection, stabilise the seabed and mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon up to 40 times more effectively than forests.

It supports artisanal fisheries, purifies water and shields our shores from erosion and tsunamis, as demonstrated during the 2004 disaster.

Reclamation’s hidden dangers

The proposed project involves reclaiming 70 acres of sea using 5.2 million cubic metres of sand, perilously close to and encroaching on, the sanctuary’s boundaries.

In fact, the developer’s own environmental impact assessment report admitted: “The project site including the proposed reclamation area is located at the middle banks…” (Page 6.35).

The reclamation site lies within or adjacent to the Middle Bank’s deep channel, as defined by Penang Institute’s research.

Image source: “Protecting Penang’s Marine Biodiversity: Establishing the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary”, published by Penang Institute (Figure 5-1). The red line was added to approximately showing the reclamation site

Assuming that the chief minister claims of no physical encroachment is true, he also overlooks the indirect, yet devastating impacts reclamation will have on the ecosystem.

Even without direct overlap, the cascade of indirect impacts -sedimentation, habitat destruction and disrupted currents – will devastate this fragile ecosystem.

Leading marine scientists have raised critical concerns:

These indirect effects – sedimentation, pollution and altered water flow – will extend beyond the project’s physical boundaries, suffocating the sanctuary’s ecosystems and result in the collapse of its biodiversity.

Science over assurances

Evidently, the chief minister’s assertion that the project poses no threat to the sanctuary is not supported by scientific evidence.

The sanctuary’s role as a global asset was underscored in 2022 with the discovery of two new sea cucumber species, Euthyonidiella zulfigaris and Acaudina spinifera. Destroying it would erase a scientific and ecological legacy.

Our call to action

We, the residents of Karpal Singh Drive, urge the state government to:

This is not a choice between progress and preservation – urban development and conservation can coexist. The Middle Bank sustains our fisheries, shields our shores and fights climate change. We cannot afford to lose it.

Community call to action

The committee also urges all concerned citizens to:

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