Please click here to see an interesting article. The Bush Administration are calling for greater protection of coral reefs. The bill, the Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Amendment Act of 2007, reauthorises the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 200. It gives greater protection for coral reefs while enhancing marine debris removal and increasing the government’s ability to work through cooperative partnerships.
We have been lucky enough to have Lee Grismer, Jesse Grismer and J.R. Oaks stay with us here at Watercolours. These expert herpetologists have already found a lots of new species in other parts of Malaysia and the Perhentians has been a goldmine for them. In just 3 days, Lee and the boys found 4 species that are most likely new to science (1 lizard, 2 geckos and a caecilian). Anke and I were their jungle guides and enjoyed our jungle-treks with them immensely. These guys have already been on tv (Animal Planet) so perhaps the Perhentians will be put on the map as a home to many endemic reptile and amphibious species! Watch this space for more details!
Congratulations to Renata, Roy, Maxine and Maarten for seeing a whale shark at Sea Bell reef this week. I can’t believe you also saw a leopard shark at Fish Heaven. Why did I not go diving with you guys???? 
We extend a big thank you to the Lions Club of Kota Budaya, who have donated money for us to survey the Sea Bell reef. Many of the Lions members and their family members visited the islands to inspect some of our coral reefs to see for themselves what condition they are in. They snorkelled and dived at 3 separate sites of varying health. The reef they have adopted is the Sea Bell reef. Our survey showed the reef to be in good condition, with the shallow area having over 70% live coral. It is important that we survey our healthy reefs so that future surveys can detect changes and the appropriate authorities can be alerted if necessary.
We would also like to thank Loo, a diver from Kuala Lumpur, for accompanying us on the surveys and taking photos. Loo is keen diver and wants to highlight environmental concerns around the islands.
