Interactive Map Brings Insight into Malaysia’s Coral Reef Health

TIOMAN ISLAND, 4 AUGUST 2023 – A team from AmBank supported a marine conservation NGO, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM), in their work to rehabilitate coral reefs on Tioman Island.

The group of nine AmBank employees managed to plant 200 corals of opportunity – which are corals that have been broken by physical impact.

RCM is a non-governmental organization established in 2007 committed to a healthy ocean and bringing all stakeholders together to manage coral reefs sustainably. RCM’s field office on Tioman Island is managed by the Cintai Tioman team. Cintai Tioman is a long-term community-based programme which is a first in Malaysia. The goal of the project is to protect the coral reefs around Tioman and to improve the livelihoods of the local community. The end goal is to ensure the sustainable use of the island’s natural resources for the benefit of all stakeholders. 

Commenting on the conservation efforts, Head of Group Corporate Communications and Marketing, AmBank Group, Shazman Shahid said : “The programme is one of the sustainability activities by AmBank to inspire and raise awareness amongst AmBankers while also mobilising support for meaningful action towards sustainable development and practices.  AmBank hopes that this effort will help to further conserve marine biodiversity through sustainable, community-based coral reef rehabilitation”  

AmBank’s commitment to its Sustainability Journey in making the planet a better place for the next generation inspired them to collaborate with RCM in its coral rehabilitation efforts, paving way for more future potential collaborations in the marine conservation space.

 

AmBank’s employees volunteered with Reef Check Malaysia on Tioman Island.

“Coral reef rehabilitation takes a lot of time, effort and cost. It is great to have corporations such as AmBank  supporting our work to ensure that we can keep protecting the reefs in Tioman Island,” shared Alvin Chelliah, Chief Programme Officer of Reef Check Malaysia.

The AmBank  team also managed to deploy 36 coral pots at RCM’s reef rehabilitation site in Kampung Tekek, recycled glass bottles, and built coral blocks during their time in Tioman.

The AmBank team deployed 36 coral pots.

 The corals deployed will be monitored regularly to assess survival and growth rates. The team will observe for any coral diseases or predation and ensure tagging is intact near to selected replicate.

200 corals of opportunity were planted by the team.

After a few months from deployment, the team will also look for coral recruitment to observe and record the marine life inhabiting the site over time.

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.    

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KUALA LUMPUR, 18 OCTOBER 2024 – 8,569 volunteers from all around Malaysia collected 41,015kg of trash during the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) event in September 2024.

Among 388,730 items collected, the most common item found was plastic bottles at 50,785 bottles. The second and third most common items were cigarette butts at 39,584 pieces and plastic/foam pieces at 38,801 pieces.

Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) coordinates the nationwide ICC in Malaysia every year since 2018. Organizations, groups and individuals collect data during the cleanup and key in data into the Clean Swell app to contribute to the global database of cleanups by Ocean Conservancy.

Tengku Zatashah, Princess Beach Cleanup in action

Y.A.M Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the princess of Selangor, who is also fondly known as ‘Princess Beach Cleanup’, also participated in this year’s ICC. “The International Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.

Proud volunteers of Hapag-Lloyd Business Services Malaysia that cleaned up Pantai Batu 23

This year’s ICC was supported by Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia and KPMG Malaysia. Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia’s volunteers cleaned Pantai Batu 23 for ICC and collected 54.75 kg of trash. KPMG Malaysia chose to clean Pantai Remis, Kuala Selangor and collected 126.61kg of trash.

Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.

KPMG volunteers cleared 126.61kg of trash from Pantai Remis

Reef Check Malaysia also held their Kod Blue: Laut Needs You event as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Volunteers for Kod Blue 2024 which happened on 7 September at Kampung Air Batang, Tioman Island, collected 757.7kg of trash from the beach cleanup and 50.8kg of trash from the underwater cleanup. The underwater cleanup team also removed 62 coral predators, the Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COT).

All Kod Blue 2024 volunteers before the cleanups

“The objective of the event is to spread awareness about the issue of marine debris while bringing together the general public and the local community of Tioman Island,” said Theresa Ng, Chief Operating Officer of Reef Check Malaysia. “Kod Blue is an homage to the term used to mean ’emergency’ in the medical field, and ‘blue’ is also a nod to the ocean.”

The second event in the series featured a conservation talk by Reef Check Malaysia’s Chief Programmes Officer, Alvin Chelliah, a special ‘Action Camera Underwater Videography’ workshop by Reef Check Malaysia’s ambassador, Baki Zainal, a beach and underwater cleanup, a ‘Pasar Malam Mesra Alam’ offering local delicacies from the Tioman Island community, a glass crusher and coral block workshop, and a movie night.

Volunteers segregated trash according to types

The event was supported by sponsors including Migalabs, Diamond & Platinum, REEF, Bose, Sol Sauce Sunscreen, Akkord Scents, Nautika Scuba Centre, B&J Diving Centre, Small Towns Malaysia, Ryan’s Special Needs Care Centre, Garmin Malaysia, Cowa, MobyTek, and Nazri’s Place.

“We are grateful for our sponsors for their generous sponsorship and support for Kod Blue 2024.” commented Theresa.

“We also would like to thank our ambassadors, Sharifah Sofia and Baki Zainal, all of our volunteers including representatives from Tioman Development Authority, Department of Fisheries (DOF), Alam Flora, SWCORP ROMPIN, PERHILITAN Department, Tioman Police, SMK Tekek (Nature Lovers Club), and Malaysia Civil Defence Force for participating in our cleanup effort.” added Theresa.

A TMCG member who supported our cleanup weighed all trash collected

Every year, millions of tons of trash—including an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic waste—flows into the ocean, impacting more than 800 marine species and even entering the food chain.

“When I first heard about Kod Blue 2024, I was excited, and I think it is a good chance to be part of conservation work with experts in the field. It was not easy to make time for this event, but I am very happy I did. I get to meet like-minded people, and I enjoy every second of the activities. I have a lot of takeaways from this event” commented Yvonne Jong, one of the underwater participants of Kod Blue 2024.

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.

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