annual reef health monitoring reveal bleached sites

Over in Tioman Island, our team of RCM colleagues, together with the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DoF), volunteer EcoDivers and members of the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) recently completed the annual coral reef health monitoring. A total of 22 dive sites were surveyed in this effort, covering areas around Tioman and Sri Buat Island.  

Throughout the monitoring, we observed reefs in some areas that are undergoing bleaching due to the rising seawater temperature. We’ve also actively monitored several selected locations for coral bleaching, in light of the 4th Global Coral Bleaching event as reported by NOAA. Up to the month of June, we’ve recorded an increase in the number of coral reefs that are experiencing bleaching. We hope that the current episode of increased seawater temperature will end soon, giving coral reefs a chance to recover in normal water temperatures again.

Tioman Island Conservation: Collaborative Efforts

Our Tioman team has been carrying out conservation programmes with several organisations who made a visit to the island. In May, we conducted a ‘Coral Rehabilitation & Cultivation Sustainability Program’ in conjunction with Watsons ‘Blue Beauty’ Campaign. The Watsons team made “coral pots” and 35 blocks for coral reef rehabilitation, conducted a DIY workshop with bottles, and presented a mock cheque to RCM.

A team from KPMG also visited Tioman Island in May, participating in several activities such as the EcoDiver course, reef rehabilitation activities and a rubbish clean-up in Teluk Kador. The group also carried out reef rehabilitation efforts at existing coral nursery sites.

In June, SC Johnson, whom we are collaborating with this year, visited our team on the island. The collaboration involves microplastic sampling at 3 selected sites around Tioman, which are Tekek Beach, Tanjung Saik and Bunut Bay. During this visit, we conducted activities such as Crown-of-Thorns (COTs) clean-up, building of “coral pots” and clean-up of the reef rehabilitation sites.

Green Initiatives in Tioman: Tackling Ghost Nets and Promoting Sustainable Tourism

Our TMCG team received lesser reports of ghost nets in the second quarter of 2024. A total of 2,075kg of ghost nets were removed from the waters in three areas around Tioman Island, with the help of DoF, TMCG members and SCUBA diving shops.

Our colleague on the island evaluated 87 resorts in seven villages, based on the ASEAN Green Hotel Assessment guideline. 10 of these hotels are now recognised as “Green Hotels”, for their continuous efforts in ensuring environmental sustainability. These standards, set by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTAC), is a recognition to encourage entrepreneurs to conduct their business in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Meanwhile, our other colleagues were also conducting Green Fins evaluation on several SCUBA diving centres such as B&J Diving Centre, U Dive and the Barat Dive Centre, among others. Green Fins members agree to adhere to ’15-Point Code of Conduct’ designed specifically to reduce negative impact caused by divers and the diving industry. For more information, please visit https://greenfins.net/countries/malaysia.