Cintai Mantanani is a long-term effort by Reef Check Malaysia which strives to ensure the economic well-being of the community while protecting our marine environment. Currently, we have a team of three based on Mantanani Island running the projects on the ground relating to waste management, plastic recycling, alternative livehoods, and, community-based tourism.

Waste Management

As of June 2021, a total of 174 households with a population of 905 were involved in our daily waste collection in both villages - Kampung Siring Bukit and Kampung Padang. From 1st April to 15th June 2021, a total of 15,972.2 kg of solid waste managed to be collected from both villages. There are still around less than 30 households that is not involved in the daily waste collections due to reasons such as the household owners are living on mainland or at the resort where they work or also due to personal reasons.

Virgin Coconut Oil

The virgin coconut oil (VCO) project supported by Yayasan Hasanah for the Economic Recovery Program of the community has now generated around RM1,900 worth of sales since they have started. The sales will be divided equally among those who have been involved and the production and packaging costs such as the glass bottles, gloves, and petrol.

Currently, our two virgin coconut oil machines have been sent for repair as it has not been functioning. However, that does not stop the VCO team from going on. They are now using the traditional method to retrieve the oil instead.

Kebun Komuniti

The kebun komuniti team has successfully planted 13 types of fruits and vegetables in their new garden area. In the past 3 months, they were able to harvest watermelons, kangkung and corns. Recently, a well was dug up in the garden area so that the process of transporting water is made convenient. Previously, they had to transport water from a nearby resort in order to water the plants. With their recent planting of corns, they are hoping to sell the next harvest to the local community in order to continue supporting their livelihoods.

Abalone Mariculture

The abalone mariculture project has generated RM350 from the sales of 70 abalones. However, the team has been faced with several challenges in the past few months with their nets being torn apart due to floating logs or strong wind and waves. Sadly, due to those events, they lost 222 abalones and had 1 broken cage. In the meantime, they are working to repair these damages.