For centuries, the Bajau Laut, an indigenous maritime community of Southeast Asia, have lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, dependent on the sea for sustenance and income. But with increasing environmental pressures, their traditional way of life is fast disappearing, forcing them to adapt to new realities on the land.
Bilkuin Jimmy Salih, a 20-year-old member of Bajau Laut, tells about his upbringing. Born on a houseboat known as Lepa off the coast of Semporna in Malaysian Borneo, Mr Salih learned to dive at an early age, a skill passed down through generations. “One of our specialties is that, because we live on the ocean and we’re always in the ocean, we can dive underwater for long periods of time,” he told CNN. “We learn by observing and from there we develop our techniques.”
The Bajau Laut community is biologically adapted to life in the sea, having large spleens that help them hold their breath for extended periods, allowing them to dive for sea cucumbers, abalone and spider shellfish. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to survive through traditional fishing practices due to overfishing and environmental degradation. “Earlier we could easily get a bucket of abalone and sea cucumbers, but now there is hardly any,” Mr Salih said. “Other high-value fish are also less available. So it is now very difficult, very challenging, for us to rely on the ocean as a source of livelihood.”
As the marine environment degrades due to climate change and overfishing, many Bajau Laut families, like Mr. Salih, are abandoning their houseboats in favor of stilt houses. The cost and complexity of maintaining lepas have made them unaffordable for many, and the shift to a more sedentary life has reduced the adaptability of the community. “We are now less adaptable, more dependent on a specific island or reef,” Mr Salih said.
This area, once a haven for marine life, has become increasingly vulnerable. Rising sea surface temperatures, ocean acidification and coral bleaching are damaging fish habitats, worsening the challenges facing coastal communities. “Coastal communities living along the sea are extremely vulnerable to climate change events,” said Adzmin Fattah, program manager at Reef Check Malaysia. “The deteriorating marine environment and fish shortages have left many low-income fishermen desperate.”
Due to low fish stocks, illegal fishing practices such as blast fishing and cyanide fishing are common in the region. These methods not only harm fish populations but also cause significant damage to coral reefs. “Bombing the fish is cheap and easy,” Mr. Fatta said. “A fish bomb costs about 15 Malaysian ringgit (Rs 665), but it can yield 2,000 to 3,000 ringgit worth of fish (Rs 88,700 to Rs 1,33,050).”
Plastic pollution is another growing problem, with discarded water bottles, crisp packets and flip-flops often seen in water. Robin Filippo, director of the Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC), believes tourism is largely responsible for the increasing waste. “The carrying capacity of Semporna compared to the waste that is produced, I think is the destabilizing factor,” he said.
Despite these challenges, the Bajau Laut community remains largely stateless, with many living in legal circles without access to basic services such as health care, education and utilities. An estimated 28,000 Bajau live in Laut Sabah, and 78 percent of them are undocumented. Their lack of formal citizenship excludes them from many conservation efforts, as their traditional knowledge is often undervalued.
Edzmin Fatta believes that one of the barriers to effective conservation is the “unequal opportunities” faced by the Bajau Laut. “Without formal citizenship, they often don’t see their role in conservation efforts,” he said.
