Pulau Sembilan, a cluster of nine islands off the coast of Perak, will be reopening soon after being closed to the public since 2017.

Malay Mail reported that the islands, which were famous for "blue tears" planktons, were closed due to damages caused by excessive tourism but had recovered.

Home to many flaura and fauna.

State Housing, Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi reportedly said that the plankton population has recovered and the white sandy beaches has also improved.

“...and also the flora and fauna which was once desecrated by the development before has been rehabilitated,” she reportedly said during a press conference.

Parts of Pulau Sembilan
"Blue tears" planktons are bioluminescent organisms that emits blue glow and looks mesmerising as they tend to appear in large groups.

Pulau Sembilan, especially Pulau Lalang and Pulau Rumbia, became a famous tourist destination as people flock to the islands after dusk to see the shorelines glow.

Besides the bioluminescent planktons, the islands and the waters surrounding it are also rich in other fauna such as simulate octopus, adolescent bamboo sharks, seahorses, nudibranchs, juvenile yellow boxfish, juvenile blue-ringed angelfish, butterfly fish, long-finned bannerfish, blue-ringed angelfish, groupers and tuna.

According to the report, the authorities will wait till the Movement Control Orders (MCO) are lifted and state borders are reopened before reopening the islands.

However, there was no mention of how the state government is planning on ensuring that the renewed tourist activities will not cause harm to the area as it did before.

We sure hope they have a plan to keep the natural lives in the area safe while restarting tourism activities there!