The battle against ghost nets

Ghost nets are a serious threat to marine life such as turtles, fish, crabs and even dolphins, as it can cause death due to entanglement. Tioman Island has seen a fair share of these nets in the last few years. In the first quarter of 2024, there was a slight decrease in the number of complaints of ghost nets around the waters of Tioman. However, our Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) was still able to remove ghost nets weighing a total of 1,215kg from four locations across the island.

We’re fortunate to continuously have the support of the Tioman community in these cleanup efforts, including Alam Flora, SCUBA diving centre operators, and a few representatives of the local community.

Having spent much time handling these nets, our Tioman team recently published a paper in the “Palawan Scientist” on the incidence of ghost nets. You can also find the paper on our website, under the “Tioman Island” section. 

Coral bleaching monitoring activity

Based on our records from 2023, some bleaching was observed in a few shallow coral reef areas in Tioman waters. Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) together with the TMCG has started monitoring for coral bleaching regularly this year. Unfortunately, the results of the current monitoring found that some coral colonies have died due to bleaching. It is to be noted that the resilience of coral reefs is affected both by natural and local threats, which then affects the survival rate of corals. Minimising local threats would help increase the resilience of coral reefs, which helps them better withstand natural impacts such as global warming and bleaching episodes.

digging in for microplastics

Microplastics are one of the biggest challenges facing out oceans today. But what exactly are microplastics? They are basically fine pieces of plastic that are less than five (5) millimeters long, and are almost invisible to the naked eye. Their tiny size should not be taken lightly, as microplastic waste has been found almost everywhere across the globe. They have adverse effects on marine life and human health, especially once they enter the food web.

Our TMCG team recently began conducting microplastic sampling, together with SC Johnson, who are funding these efforts. A total of 75 samples were collected from three locations around Tioman. This is the first microplastic project RCM has embarked on, and we will be sharing more about the results and progress of this new project soon.

“asean green hotel” standards adaptation

Our team on Tioman has been working to encourage resort operators on the island to conduct their business in an environmentally friendly manner. For a few years running, we have been conducting assessments for the resorts on Tioman, adopting the criteria set by the ASEAN Green Hotel Standards. This adaptation was done to evaluate and recognise resorts that successfully achieve the ASEAN Tourism Standards set by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTAC). In the first quarter of 2024, we evaluated 53 resorts in three villages, and 10 of them have been recognised as “Green Hotels”, due to their continuous efforts in ensuring environmental sustainability.

education and awareness activities

Our Tioman colleagues have conducted 6 school educational programmes with SK Tekek and SK Juara up to March 2024. Aside from a classroom session on the “Importance of Coral Reefs”, the students also had an opportunity to row kayaks in the mangrove swamp of Juara Village. During this trip, they were introduced to the mangrove ecosystem, its features as well as its importance.

We also organised a trip to the Marina in Tekek Village, where the students had the opportunity to conduct fish species identification using a ID book. We believe that the younger generation will learn and remember much more through hands-on experience, which will eventually instill a sense of awareness and ownership over the precious ecosystems that are in their own island.

tmcg gaining new skills

Our TMCG members are continuously improving themselves, through new skills or theory trainings. Recently, all the members attended an online training: “Coral and Climate Adaptations Planning – Design Tools”. During this session, the participants were exposed to issues related to climate change, and how to manage these climate issues that may affect different aspects of the marine management plans for their own island.