Interactive Map Brings Insight into Malaysia’s Coral Reef Health

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 SEPTEMBER 2025 – An advanced interactive map compiling years of data on the health of Malaysia’s reefs from over 300 sites is now available on Reef Check Malaysia’s website.

The interactive map offers a comprehensive and dynamic view of reef conditions, specifically using data from the Reef Check survey methodology, which is widely recognized worldwide.

It provides a robust platform that visualizes data, displaying key indicators such as fish, invertebrates, and substrate data. The platform presents this information in an easy-to-understand format, helping users quickly identify areas of concern and track trends in reef health in Malaysia over the past five years.

The interactive map displays data on the health of Malaysia’s coral reefs.

The new platform was made possible through The APAC Digital Transformation Program by Infoxchange.

“This platform leverages the power of community involvement to gather extensive and diverse data sets. This approach democratizes data collection and encourages public participation, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility towards reef conservation,” commented Theresa Ng, Chief Operating Officer of Reef Check Malaysia.

“The interactive map also provides timely updates on reef health indicators. This immediate access to current data allows stakeholders to make informed decisions quickly, enhancing the ability to respond to emerging threats,” Ng added.

The data was gathered using the Reef Check survey methodology

The platform is designed with an intuitive user interface and is accessible via Reef Check Malaysia’s website. This ensures that users of all technical backgrounds can easily navigate the map, and access relevant information.

Alongside the interactive map, Reef Check Malaysia has also introduced an educational modules page, designed for teachers, students, and passionate individuals to learn more about marine conservation.

“We invite everyone to explore the map and educational modules,” added Ng. “We hope this platform and modules will help facilitate informed decision-making, promote sustainable practices, and ultimately contribute to the preservation and restoration of coral reefs, safeguarding these vital ecosystems for future generations.”

For more information on Reef Check Malaysia, you may visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram or contact them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 AUGUST 2023 – Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) is working with the local community on Redang Island to rehabilitate coral reefs. The programme, implemented by their Cintai Redang team, is also supported by the Department of Fisheries, Laguna Dive Centre, Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG), and Coralku Conservation.

The coral rehabilitation programme is funded by the National Conservation Trust Fund for Natural Resources (NCTF).

“The objective of the coral rehabilitation project is to conserve marine biodiversity through sustainable, community-based coral reef rehabilitation.” shared Putri Asma, Programme Manager of Cintai Redang.

The local community marine conservation group from Tioman Island, Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG), was also invited to share their experiences with the local islanders.

The knowledge-sharing session is particularly beneficial as RCM has also established a similar group with the locals in Redang Island called Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG). RMCG is a group of Redang youths passionate about marine conservation and trained to conduct marine conservation work alongside RCM’s team.

“Learning from TMCG member’s experience and success was really interesting and inspired us to continue growing our RMCG”, commented Muhaimin, who started as a member of RMCG and is now an Assistant Programme Manager of Cintai Redang.

During the programme, different methods of coral rehabilitation were tested along with different coating. This is done to evaluate the survival rates of rescued corals. All the learnings will be published in a national toolkit and will be released to the public by the end of 2024.

Different structure designs were also used as part of the testing. Among the methods tested are using different coated metal frames, cement blocks, and coral clips.

Coral fragments, also called nubbins, are broken corals that are still alive and can be found lying on the sea bottom. Approximately 100 coral fragments were planted at each site – making a total of 300 coral fragments saved. Scheduled monitoring will then be conducted with the local community and marine biologists on-site to ensure the best survival rate.

Different structure designs were used to plant the coral fragments.

The team is also developing a coral rehabilitation toolkit as a guideline for the most effective coral rehabilitation method suitable for a community-based restoration programme.

The teams also managed to remove ghost nets that were reported by snorkelers at Ekor Tebu. The ghost nets removed weighed around 50kg. Ghost nets harm marine life, especially when entangled in the reef, suffocating the corals and trapping the animals in the coral reef.

For more information on Reef Check Malaysia, you may visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram or contact them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.