tackling coral bleaching around sabah

In the last three months, our colleagues in Sabah have been conducting coral bleaching monitoring in many sites, with results that show varying levels of bleaching. The surveys were done with the help of members of our Community Marine Conservation Groups, as well as volunteers from partners such as Sabah Parks and the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Each site is marked with a stake to ease identification for the next monitoring trip.

Some sites show low levels of bleaching, such as those in Mabul Island. Other sites such as in Larapan showed moderate bleaching while sites around Sepanggar still showed high levels of bleaching. Several of these sites showed signs of damage from trash, fish bombing, usage of anchors and even drupella predation.

A diver monitoring the reefs for bleaching using a quadrat

Over 70% of foliose corals bleaching in Mamutik Island, KK

kota kinabalu

Keeping our seas tangle-Free: Removal of Ghost Nets

In conjunction with PADI Women’s Dive Day in July, RCM alongside Marine Research Foundation (MRF) and Sabah Dive Rangers conducted a ghost net clean-up in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP). A total of 13 divers worked together to remove two huge nets, which was disposed of with the help of Sabah Parks.

In September, RCM together with the Marine Research Foundation (MRF), in partnership with Sabah Parks, Sabah Dive Rangers and SJ SEAS successfully organised a ghost net removal programme in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP). The programme was funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS), and the boats were sponsored by Scuba Junkie Seas. On the first day of the program, a recce dive was done to verify the location and depth of the ghost nets, as well as mark them with buoys. Over the next two days, the team of 25 divers worked hard to successfully remove more than 100kgs of ghost nets.

Net removal in conjunction with PADI Women's Dive Day

A diver gently removing a net without damaging the reef

collaborating with stakeholders: Effective Environmental Management

In mid-July, our KK colleagues conducted the annual Green Fins assessment of dive centres in Sabah. This year, 3 new centres were certified under Green Fins, while 2 others continued their efforts as a Green Fins member. The Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRACC) achieved new heights by attaining the Gold Membership and are also in the midst of getting their PADI Eco Centre certification. Green Fins members agree to adopt a 15-Point Code of Conduct which serves as a guide to help them run their operations in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner.

A group photo of Nadhirah from RCM (standing, second from the right) during the Green Fins session at TRACC

In mid-August, RCM was invited to the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) workshop organised by DHI and Sabah Environment Protection Department (EPD). The focus of the workshop was to revise the SMP prepared in 2005 with:

- the latest data on identified Environmental Sensitive Areas
- implementation of the use of GIS for mapping purposes, and
- the inclusion of new and existing strategy plans.

RCM will contribute by providing data on coral reef health status within RCM survey sites, map of reported coral bleaching incidents in 2024 and reported fish bombing incidents from 2019 to 2023.

Mantanani island

Monthly Programs Engage Students and Boost Knowledge

Diana, our colleague on Mantanani has been spending time with students of SK Pulau Mantanani. In the first week of July, she conducted a school education program with 108 students from Standard 1 to 6, who were joined by 6 of their teachers. Diana shared about the different animals that can be found in coral reef areas, the benefits these animals bring to the reef ecosystem and the threats these animals face. In August, another session was held for Standard 4 to Standard 6 students, who were exposed to the life of dugongs, and their role and importance to the marine ecosystem. The highlight of September was an interactive learning session on the Crown of Thorns Starfish, for 40 Standard 6 students.

Waste management insights

In early July, Diana conducted an assessment through Googles Forms, to collect feedback on the Mantanani Waste Management Program. 145 local households participated in the survey, the outcome of which will be shared soon. In mid-August, Diana and the locals on Mantanani who assist with the Waste Management Program collected close to 630kg of trash, including plastic waste which was separated to be recycled. All the trash and recyclable waste collected was sent out from the island to the Kayu Madang landfill in Tuaran (mainland) through the rental of a RORO Bin from Majlis Daerah Kota Belud (MKDB).

Diana (right) conducting the assessment with an islander

Trash and waste ready to be transported out of the island

semporna

community-led sea patrolling project kicks off with a great start

In Selakan Island, the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) initiated the community-led sea patrolling project in early July. During this patrolling session, they engaged with two fishermen (from mainland) who were seen fishing within the community managed area. The team from SMCG had a very practical approach: they engaged all the fishermen in a respectful manner, took some time to conduct a simple interview, explained the concept of the community managed area (to protect the marine resources around the island and ensure its sustainability) and advised the fishermen against fishing in the area.

By mid-July, this effort was making great progress. The SMCG had prevented 12 boats from encroaching into the community managed area in Selakan Island, two of which were fish bombing boats. One of those boats were also found with many giant clams, and they were issued a warning. The team also reminded these fishermen that any future fishing activities within this area would be deemed as illegal fishing.

Boat filled with giant clams issued a warning from a SMCG member

Empowering Minds: Diverse marine Education and Awareness Initiatives

In mid-July and early August, our Semporna team participated in the ‘School Awareness Roadshow with Silam Coast Conservation Area (SCCA)’, involving 8 schools around Semporna and Kunak. The roadshow had participation from almost 500 students, ranging from year 4 to 6 and Form 4 to 5. RCM was joined by members of the Kulapuan Marine Conservation Group (KMCG), Larapan Marine Conservation Group (LMCG), and Pemimpin Belia IKLIM Mabul. Together with SCCA, RCM also prepared an exhibition on wild animals and corals, which was used as we shared stories with the students and teachers during smaller group interactions.

In another event in July, RCM with our community partner from Green Semporna prepared an exhibition booth during the ‘Jelajah I Hijau’ organized by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Kementerian Kerajaan Tempatan dan Perumahan - KKTP) and the District Council of Semporna. The event, open for the public, was held at the Semporna Community Hall. RCM set up an exhibition booth, delivered a presentation as well as conducted interactive games for more than 200 school children. Our youths from Larapan, Mabul, and Kulapuan were also present to share more about their coral restoration and conservation works funded by the IKI Small Grants program.

RCM's intern presenting about coral reefs

Students participating in an activity at our 'Jelajah I Hijau' booth

Reef Restoration: Collaborative Efforts Led by local groups

Our Semporna team headed to Selakan Island in July to conduct the monthly reef restoration maintenance and coral growth monitoring. The trip was led by the SMCG (Selakan Marine Conservation Group) and joined by RCM’s interns and 4 other volunteers, two of whom were from Sabah Parks. Almost one year since its first deployment, the corals appear to be growing well and more fish can be found around the area.

Meanwhile the KMCG (Kulapuan Marine Conservation Group) once again deployed another 734 bottle reefs over 4 days, resulting in a total of over 1,000 bottle reefs to date. This project is funded by IKI Small Grants program for coral restoration activities in Semporna Island. Apart from the bottle reefs, KMCG also deployed and regularly maintained over 400 coral fragments on 30 Reef Stars and over a thousand coral fragments using the Coral Culture Table.

SMCG members conducting maintenance and monitoring

Guardians of Marine Life: Make way for our new park rangers!

We’re proud to announce that 9 members of the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) have been elected as Honorary Park Rangers under Sabah Parks. They participated in a 3-day Honorary Park Ranger Training at the Sabah Parks Office, in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The trained youths are now able to enforce Section 48 under the Parks Enactment 1984 which is to protect the integrity of the park’s natural resources from any damages or illegal alterations. The training was conducted as a part of the Sea Patrolling project funded by The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

uniting for a cleaner mabul

In mid-July, our colleagues participated in a meeting between the Mabul Island Waste Management Committee (Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Kebersihan Pulau Mabul) and tourism operators on Mabul Island. Nine operators attended the discussion on finding a solution to support the current waste management and clean-up efforts. One suggestion was for the resorts on the island to contribute RM300 – RM500 per month to finance the efforts. The meeting was also attended by representatives from Majlis Daerah and Pejabat Daerah, as well as from KEPKAS (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah).

The committee led by the Village Head, Mr Hj Yusof, conducts a weekly clean-up since July, in collaboration with the local islanders, the Semporna District Council, RCM and Amwil Deslen Management and Supplies PLT. The waste is collected in 6 zones and a “Jongkong” is used to transport the waste to mainland Semporna, to be handed to the Semporna District Council or to the disposal centre at Kg Sri Aman. As of August, participants of the cleanup have collected as much as 55,325 kg of waste from the beaches in Mabul.

A before photo of one of the clean-up locations

An after photo of one of the clean-up locations

Facilitating Marine Awareness: CEPA Workshop Collaboration

Reef Check Malaysia was invited as facilitators by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation to help facilitate a workshop on CEPA Development for Sarawak. The two-day workshop that was held in Kuching, involved identifying marine issues in Sarawak that requires public awareness, developing modules and content, as well as designing activities for the module. At the end of the workshop, the participants presented and discussed their ideas to solidify the module before the actual module development.