Cintai Redang: July - September 2024

Skills Training to Contribute to Marine Conservation Activities

In July and August, 7 members of the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) completed their training and are now certified EcoDivers. The training was conducted in three sessions at DM Scuba Dive Centre and RCM Redang office. The training included components such as classroom learning and mock surveys (Fish ID, Invertebrate ID and Substrate ID). To date, 12 RMCG members have been trained as EcoDivers and they help conduct surveys in and around Redang Island.

Asma with a trainee EcoDiver during a mock survey

In September, RMCG representatives went to Pulau Lang Tengah to train 3 members of the Pulihara team as EcoDivers. All 3 trainees successfully completed the course and passed the exam. They are now ready to contribute their effort and knowledge in collecting coral reef health data in Pulau Lang Tengah.

Marine awareness programs catches interest of younger generation

In mid-August, RCM staff, Asma and Muhaimin conducted several educational and awareness programs for the local kids of Redang Island. We had an interactive session with 15 kindergarten kids, teaching them about coral reefs and marine life, followed by some videos and a quiz. A similar program was held for students aged 9-12, where they were taught about hard and soft corals. 12 of these students were then brought out to the sea for a snorkelling session with RMCG members, to identify these corals. 

During the outdoor waste management awareness activity, participants aged 9-12 years old were brought on a jungle trekking trip while picking up rubbish from Teluk Dalam to Long Beach. They also had the opportunity to visit the waste machine in Long Beach and were briefed on the waste management efforts in Redang.

Muhaimin interacting with the kindergarten students

Jungle trekking session

We also conducted an awareness session on ‘Recycling” at Balairaya Kampung Pulau Redang, attended by 14 students, during which they were briefed on the process of recycling and ways to reduce the production of trash.

Engaging Stakeholders: Partnerships in Action

Our RCM team from Redang attended the Majlis Perasmian Eco-Schools Terengganu, which was held in conjunction with Word Nature Convention Day. Eco-Schools Terengganu is funded by Yayasan Petronas and other agencies, including the Ministry of Education and the Terengganu State Education Department. The event provided a platform for Reef Check Malaysia to showcase the coral reef conservation we have been carrying out, and to share knowledge and experiences while educating the public about the importance of preserving our marine ecosystems.

Muhaimin and Asma at the 'Majlis Perasmian Eco Schools'

In September, RMCG representatives conducted a site visit to Pulau Rhu for the final steps of Pulau Rhu gazettement as state park, which includes the component of establishing the boundary line in Pulau Rhu waters. The visit also involved representative from JUPEM, Majlis Daerah Besut, and Terengganu State Park.

protecting our reefs: tracking and monitoring efforts

Our team has been working hard to complete the annual Reef Check surveys around Redang. In early of July, a team led by our Redang colleagues and 4 EcoDivers successfully completed surveys at 6 sites in Tenggol Island. A few weeks later, members of RMCG, TMCG and a few EcoDivers surveyed 12 sites around redang, during which they noticed that the number of sites affected by bleaching were still high. In early August, RMCG members together with volunteers conducted surveys at 6 sites around Bidong and Yu Island.

Our RMCG team also conducted biodiversity monitoring in 12 sites which across 5 islands, namely Redang, Bidong, Geluk, Bara and Lang Tengah. The surveys that were conducted by RMCG took 4 days, during which we gathered information on the biodiversity of the sites to help us understand its current situation.

Meanwhile, the coral bleaching monitoring survey conducted by the RMCG team indicates thus far that that coral bleaching in Redang is still at a severe phase.

We have also regularly monitored our reef rehabilitation sites, to collect data on their survival and growth rate. While monitoring, we also maintained the sites by brushing off algae to reduce stress to our coral fragments. We have not planted any additional corals due to the restriction of activities during the coral bleaching episodes.

Coral reef bleaching survey in progress

Monitoring and maintenance of reef rehabilitation site

Reflections on my trip to Hawaii

EcoDiver Training in Hawaii

I’ve been in Hawaii for two weeks now, helping a fledgling Reef Check Hawaii to get established. I haven’t actually done much training recently – or diving, come to that! But it’s been reassuring that it comes back quickly!

Diving here is interesting. The reefs are not as diverse as in Malaysia—not surprisingly, given that Malaysia is part of the Coral Triangle. But the water quality is great, and there are ample opportunities to spot mega fauna. Two days ago, a manta ray slid slowly past our team while we were doing surveys; today, a 4-metre tiger shark came to visit the team on a training dive!

A Manta Ray swam past us

The Goal of the EcoDiver Training in Hawaii

Our primary goal is to get a team of divers certified up to EcoDiver Trainer, so they can build a bigger team. That is going amazingly well, and the local team – Brad Giles, Rachel Yoder and Adam Florea, have been very passionate and committed to the training – which we are somehow doing around their regular working shifts in the dive centre that is supporting this effort. So early starts and long days all round!

They have an ambitious goal to set up a survey programme covering some 90 sites by the middle of next year, focusing on the main island (which is often referred to as “the big island” but is actually called Hawaii) but also covering some of the other islands.

Marine Conservation in Hawaii

Hawaii is home to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Hawaii and one of the largest in the world. It covers the Northwestern Hawaiin Islands. There is some monitoring going on at the other islands, mainly conducted by the Division of Aquatic Resources, which manages the state’s Marine Life Conservation Districts, which are the states MPAs. What RC Hawaii hopes to do is similar to what we are doing in Malaysia – getting volunteers involved as “citizen scientists” to provide more data on what is happening to the reefs around all the islands.

What is most interesting is the parallels between Hawaii and Malaysia. The threats to the reefs are the same – local threats such as pollution, over-fishing and impacts from tourism, and global threats such as climate change. There has historically been little involvement of local stakeholders in monitoring and management and the local indigenous population in Hawaii seems to be somewhat marginalised – sound familiar? But from what I have been told, they are keen to participate where possible – just as in our own islands in Malaysia.

One with the Hawaii team

Hopefully, this will be the start of a great partnership! I’m hopeful that I will be able to keep in touch with the team here, and share what we have learned about setting up a Reef Check operation in Malaysia – if nothing else so they can avoid the mistakes we made!!

Our gratitude to the Reef Check Foundation

Finally a quick word of thanks to Reef Check Foundation who helped to set this up, and who have done fund raising for it; and to Jack’s Diving Locker here in Kona, Hawaii, who have provided all the diving logistics for the training.

Good luck to the newest RC chapter – Reef Check Hawaii!

Look at that!

Next stop – to meet RC Dominican Republic and learn about their experience actually managing MPAs. After that – Cali, Colombia, to attend COP 16, the UN’s conference on biodiversity. As mentioned previously, it’s going to be a very interesting conference; COP 15 two years ago agreed biodiversity conservation targets; this time it’s about setting up the mechanisms and funding to make those targets real.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Reef Check Malaysia will be attending COP 16

Representing Biodiversity at COP 16

So this is exciting news: I will be representing Reef Check Malaysia at COP 16 in Cali, Colombia from 21st October to 1st November!

I will join our partners, Pacific Environment and the other ASEAN team members from Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The regional team has been working together for nearly three years, supported by Pacific Environment, to advocate for greater protection of marine ecosystems. Specifically, we have been calling on our various national governments to support Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF, or just GBF)

I feel privileged to have this opportunity to meet with and learn from, some of the leading thinkers in biodiversity conservation. The link between global warming, climate change and biodiversity loss is increasingly being acknowledged; you only have to look at the current bleaching event affecting coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific – which is caused by greenhouse gas-linked ocean warming – to see the connection.

Reef Check Malaysia will be representing biodiversity at COP 16

What is COP 16?

Yeah, let’s deal with some of the jargon. “COP” simply stands for “Conference of the Parties" - in itself a bit of UN jargon that means a meeting of the signatories (or parties) to a given convention (or treaty).

The 16? That’s just the number of the meetings – they are held every 2 years.

So, at COP 16, the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) will gather to discuss a variety of issues related to global efforts to protect and conserve biological diversity.

Not to be confused with…

There’s another COP happening soon which is COP 29, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November. That COP is the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Different topic – related, but different!!

History of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention was adopted by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Convention on Biological Diversity in Nairobi in 1992. The Convention was open for signature during the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED – more commonly known as the “Earth Summit”) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992.

The Earth Summit, held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first Human Environment Conference (HEC), brought together political leaders, diplomats, scientists, media, and NGOs from 179 countries to respond to the impact of human socio-economic activities on the environment. We can date many of our current concerns about “the environment” to that Earth Summit.

Photo credit: United Nations

So, if you thought all this stuff was new…it isn’t!

It has a long history, going back to 1972. I was 11 years old! 52 years after the first HEC, and 32 years after the Earth Summit…what have we achieved?

Have a look at this website for more information on the Earth Summit, and the important discussions on sustainability.

Why am I going to COP 16?

Those of you who follow these issues will know that two years ago, at COP 15 in Montreal, parties agreed to a new set of biodiversity conservation targets.

One of the most contentious is Target 3, which sets a target to protect 30% of land and marine areas by the year 2030, the so-called “30x30 target”. Other targets cover the rights of indigenous people and local communities and funding for biodiversity conservation.

So, we have some targets. But how to achieve them? What programmes need to be implemented at the national level to make the targets real?

The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans

That’s where the so-called NBSAPs come in. The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans are national-level policies for achieving the GBF targets.

In Malaysia, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) is responsible for the National Policy on Biological Diversity, which essentially is Malaysia’s NBSAP.

We had the pleasure of meeting with YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad recently.

COP 16 Is About Taking Actions

If COP 15 was about setting the targets, COP 16 will be about how to achieve those targets. From The Nature Conservancy's website:

“The goal [of COP 16] is to transform the commitments of the 2022 GBF into actionable plans. Implementing the GBF demands global cooperation, recognizing biodiversity’s critical role in our economy, food security, climate stability, and planetary health. Ultimately, the decisions made at COP 16 will shape our planet’s future.”

And that’s why I am looking forward to attending, to understand what is going on at the policy level, and maybe even bring some ideas back to Malaysia.

I particularly want to learn more about how countries are going to fund biodiversity protection. Malaysia has made a good start with the annual Ecological Fiscal Transfers (EFTs), funds paid to States to help them protect their biodiversity.

But, much more funding is required if we are to address the imbalance in funding for biodiversity protection. As one of the "mega-biodiverse" countries, Malaysia has a lot to lose.

What about all that carbon?

As my brother is fond of reminding me, it seems somewhat ironic that a bunch of people professing to be interested in protecting the environment…are flying all over the world emitting carbon!!

I have no defence.

It is, in my opinion, a perfectly good argument. So, how do I justify it? That also has a pretty simple response.

Sometimes, more things get done if people get together to discuss issues. Sure, we all learned during COVID-19 that much can be achieved via virtual meetings and calls. But at the end of the day, sometimes you have to meet face to face…and given the importance of the topic, I think this is one of those times.

Follow along my journey at COP 16 soon!

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Rivers of Waste: It’s Time We Take Responsibility

We can put a man on the moon, but…

We can’t keep our rivers clean?

Today I had an opportunity to visit the interceptors near the river mouth of the Klang River. What an eye-opening experience.

Thanks to the team at The Ocean Cleanup for showing us around, and to our good friend Dr Yatela, Head of Yayasan Sime Darby, for inviting us to join her group.

It is us creating the problem, and it's us that are going to have make the difference.

The Ocean Interceptor

First, let me say that this is an amazing piece of technology.

Essentially it’s a barge anchored in the river. Upstream, booms across most of the width of the river allow boats to navigate the river, while channelling floating trash towards the “mouth” of this hungry beast!!

A conveyor belt picks up trash from the river flowing under the floating structure and deposits it into big skips. The contents of the skips are transferred regularly to the riverbank for disposal.

A conveyor belt picks up trash from the river

The interceptors – there are 2 in the Klang River, one sponsored by Coldplay, are efficient and effective…as much as they can be. In reality, operational limitations mean they only gather a small part of the waste that flows by.

The Ocean Interceptor that helps to clear trash from rivers

But it’s a start.  

My colleagues will be the first to tell you that I’m no photographer, but if this video doesn't shock you then I'm not sure we are part of the same branch of homo sapiens...

The Trash Filled Ocean

Further downstream – another boom, another pile of trash, mainly plastic, diverted from the river. We saw the riverbanks and mangroves littered with trash, sea birds picking their way through it.

Piles of trash

Ask yourself: where does all this come from?

Well, to try to answer that, waste management specialists – and our own research – show that there are 3 main sources: plastic trash can enter the environment from over-flowing trash bins on the street, or it is blown off landfills; there are also systemic problems leading to illegal dumping.

Ok, a bit simplistic, but you get the picture.

But basically, it is down to waste management and a culture that allows this to happen.

Where Does The Trash Come From?

We have to face facts: one way or another, they come from us.

All that plastic – and most of the trash collected by the interceptors is plastic – has at one time been used by us for something – packaging, single use plastics, detergent containers, sweet wrappers…the list is almost endless. And there is one reason, and one reason only, that it ends up in that river: us.

Frankly, seeing this, we should be ashamed of ourselves – Malaysians, human beings…whatever.

The trash comes from us

The Ocean Trash Problem is Created by Us

Is this what we really want? Is this how we want our rivers to be? And our ocean? And our beaches? Where do you think that plastic in our seafood is coming from?

It’s us!

The interceptors are doing a great job; lots of people are working hard on solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. But at the end of the day, they can only treat the symptoms – trash in rivers.

So, what is the cure?

The Solution to the Ocean Trash Problem is Us

If you ask me, it’s down to us. It is us creating the problem, and it's us that are going to have make the difference.

Used glass bottles are crushed to make sand and also reused to make coral blocks

I listen to what my colleagues tell me about what has happened on Tioman Island since Alam Flora took over the waste management system there. Before that, TDA had been doing a good job – but they didn’t have enough manpower and resources. Alam Flora changed that, and the island has become cleaner.

But it’s still a struggle to stop plastic from being released into the environment – even in a small community. Some of it blows out of full bins…some of it is litter. But they have shown that improvement is possible.

We just need the same, on a bigger scale!

We Need To Manage Our Waste Better

Let’s each take a bit of responsibility for our own actions; try that little bit harder to make sure our plastic waste doesn’t enter the environment.

Separate recyclables at home; find out when they will be collected (I do this at home; bins under the sink for paper, plastic and metal; and it’s collected every Thursday in my housing area) and at least help to make material available for recycling.

And STOP LITTERING!

If you want to throw your trash away…the bin is full...drop at the side? Stuff inside knowing it will fall out?

How about…take it to the next bin??? How difficult is that?

Whether it is at home, at work, in the mall…on the street – let’s try to help the government and local authorities in their efforts to improve waste management.

It is our environment, and ecosystems, that are at risk because of our habits

Again – it’s our habits that are largely the cause of this.

And it is our environment, and ecosystems, that are at risk because of this.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Making Community-based Conservation Real: CMCGs

Community-based Conservation

Numerous reports and publications highlight the importance of involving local stakeholders in conservation of natural resources. There is plenty of evidence to indicate that conservation outcomes are improved if the people who rely on the resources are involved in making decisions on how those resources are protected.

Here’s an update on what Reef Check Malaysia is doing to make community participation a reality. There are numerous links to national policy (such as the National Policy on Biological Diversity) and international initiatives (including both the SDGs and the Global Biodiversity Framework).

Forming A Community-based Conservation Programme

Back in 2014 we opened our first field office on the island of Tioman, off the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Tioman was among the first batch of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) set up in 1994 and the protected area (the Marine Park) is essentially like a doughnut surrounding the island, out to a distance of 2 nautical miles (a little over 3.5 km) from low water mark. Responsibility for the island itself is a State matter, in accordance with the Malaysian constitution.

Our first goal was to look at ways to build resilience of both the island’s ecosystems and community in the face of growing impacts from climate change. We started by trying to develop a good understanding of the local community, its challenges and attitudes towards marine protection.

The Reasons Locals Could Not Participate in Marine Management

We quickly discovered that the local islanders, while supporting the idea of the Marine Park, were unhappy with the way the island was being managed because the Marine Park authority would not employ them.

Discussions with the Federal government agency responsible for the Marine Parks provided the reason: government hiring regulations require government employees to have a certain level of secondary education.

Since at the time, there was no secondary school on the island, and few families had the resources to send children to school on the mainland, many local islanders had only limited secondary education. Hence they were not eligible for employment.

Seems a little unfair, I know – but the government has to have regulations and procedures, right?

The Solution to Enable Locals to Participate in Marine Management

We also found out from our discussion with the Marine Park authority that they could employ local islanders on short-term contracts to help with specific projects and tasks.

Aha.

So we set about recruiting a group of islanders and training them up to be the best possible candidates to work alongside the Marine Parks authority.

Advanced-level diver certification, reef monitoring, reef rehabilitation, predator management, mooring buoy replacement, and ghost net removal – these are just some of the training we conducted.

Thus, the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) was born. You can find their 2023 annual report here.

Tioman Islanders Protecting Tioman Island

From a small group of just six locals, the TMCG has now expanded to include a team of 85 local islanders with a group in each of the island’s 7 villages.

Removing ghostnets with TMCG

TMCG works closely with the Marine Park authority (now the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, DoF) as well as local tourism operators who highlight problems such as ghost nets and damaged moorings. The TMCG also conducts the annual coral reef monitoring surveys – which means it isn’t a bunch of outsiders coming to the island and telling the locals what is going wrong with the reefs, it is the local community monitoring its own reefs and then communicating with peers. It’s a much stronger message.

Plus – it’s financially beneficial. Whenever TMCG members participate in conservation programmes, they are paid a small allowance. So the message is: conservation pays. The TMCG programme is funded through a mixture of corporate philanthropy and donations.

The Success of Community Participation in Marine Conservation

And it’s working.

Monitoring data indicate that reefs in Tioman are in better condition than other similar areas. The local islanders are more strongly supportive of the Marine Park, because they understand what it is for, and they are engaged in looking after it.

Our own programmes on the island complement the conservation programmes that TMCG carries out. Green Fins assessments of dive operators, Green Hotels programme for resorts, education and awareness programmes – all these programmes support what the TMCG is doing. And slowly we are transferring those skills, too.

The next step will be to establish a local stakeholder representative body, to give the villagers a stronger voice in management. That’s what we are working on now.

Expanding The Community-based Conservation Programme

Turns out – Tioman was just the start. As we started to develop more contacts on other islands off the East coast – and later Sabah, we found a similar situation: local villagers who wanted to work for the Marine Park authorities but were excluded for structural reasons.

So we started to establish similar groups on other islands – and we work with other partners to help us scale the programme.

The Mersing Marine Conservation Group and the Redang Marine Conservation Group were both established by RCM as part of the local conservation programmes we were implementing. In Perhentian island, we are supporting a local NGO, Fuze Ecoteer, to build up their programme – called Anak Pulau (“Children of the Island”).

Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) in action

In Sabah we are building similar local groups on Mantanani island, and on four islands around Semporna in the south of Sabah – Mabul, Larapan, Kulapuan and Selakan.

In all these locations, the groups are attracting amazing interest from local communities, and our team leads are able to help focus on the specific local challenges faced by these communities. In some areas, the problem is sheer number of tourists; in others it is destructive fishing methods. In all cases, local communities are participating in managing the resources they rely on.

Pretty cool!

Where RCM teams are based

Enter “Reef Care”

In 2020, the Department of Fisheries (DoF) put all this on a more formal footing when it introduced the Reef Care programme. This is a strategic partnership programme of DoF and specifically gives local partners responsibilities for small areas of reef adjacent to their location – the areas being defined in appointment documents. Partners include local community groups, NGOs and resort operators.

When the Reef Care programme was first launched, the TMCG and Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) were appointed as the Reef Care partners for Tioman. Since then RCM has applied to be Reef Care partners in both Mersing and Redang, to strengthen the existing community groups we had already established.

It is our hope that, like Tioman, these partnerships can be embedded in management, with the community marine conservation groups having a “seat at the table” in a new stakeholder representative body.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Cintai Redang: April - June 2024

RMCG’s various clean up efforts

In April, our colleagues and members of the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) came together to remove a reported ghost net weighing 40kg. Following this dive, they also managed to remove almost 70 Crown-of-Thorns starfish, whose numbers appear to be increasing.

RMCG members also participated in the “Berakit Beach Clean Up” program, co-organised with the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and Kapas Conservation. The participants of this activity managed to collect more than 1,000kg of rubbish from Teluk Berakit, Kapas Island. All the waste collected was handed over to Majlis Perbandaran Daerah Marang for proper disposal.

Removal of a ghost net during the clean up

Clean up in progress during the “Berakit Beach Clean Up” program

reef check surveys progressing well with support of dedicated volunteers

Just like our colleagues in other locations, the team in Redang have been conducting Reef Check surveys and also coral bleaching monitoring surveys. In April, a few RMCG members monitored two sites for coral bleaching: the results showed some bleaching but nothing too severe. However, in June, more monitoring efforts were conducted in six more locations, revealing that majority of the corals in those sites were undergoing severe bleaching.

Divers during a coral bleaching monitoring survey

Reef Check survey in Perhentian Island

Throughout this last quarter, our Redang colleagues successfully completed the annual Reef Check surveys in Perhentian Island, Kapas Island and also Rhu Island. The survey team included volunteer EcoDivers and RMCG members.

Reef Health Boost: NEw rehabilitation frames in Pasir Akar

In early May, the RMCG members installed 60 frames for reef rehabilitation efforts in Pasir Akar, Redang. These steel frames were coated in cement and coral nubbins were attached to it. This particular site was chosen based on observation that the previous rehabilitation efforts here showed great progress in terms of coral growth. This effort is carried out to address the issue of dwindling coral health due to both natural factors and human-induced threats such as unsustainable tourism.

Installation of the reef rehabilitation frames

Multiple STakeholder engagement highlights focus on conservation

In June, our Cintai Redang colleagues represented RCM at the “SDG Summit 2024 Wilayah Timur” held in Universiti Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. RCM has been working towards one of the 17 SDG goals, specifically SDG 14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.

We also organised a consultation session with the various SCUBA dive operators on Redang Island, to gauge their feedback on ways to generate local income through conservation activities on the island. Our team also took the opportunity to discuss current RCM efforts on the island. A majority of these operators were very supportive of our work and will continue to participate in our activities too.

Towards the end of June, we conducted an awareness program with the students of SK Pulau Redang. Among the activities were a classroom presentation and discussion, as well as colouring and building their own marine ecosystem scenery. We were fortunate to have all the students of the school join us for this program, and we hope that these programs will be able to instill a sense of love and ownership of the marine environment among these students. 

Consultation session with a SCUBA dive operator

Awareness program with SK Pulau Redang

South of Johor: April - June 2024

collaborative efforts to advance education and awareness programs

Our colleagues began this quarter by conducting two separate meetings with SMK Pengerang Utama and SK Kampung Baru Pasir Gogok, to discuss the proposed school awareness programme and activities for the year. Representatives from our partners, such as Pengerang Independent Terminals Sdn. Bhd., MyKasih, and Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah (PPD) Kota Tinggi also joined the discussion. We then conducted two indoor awareness programmes with these schools, involving a total of 202 students.

Discussion and planning meeting with SK Kampung Baru Pasir Gogok

Indoor awareness program with school students

Besides the school programme, we also carried out an awareness programme with participants from the Pengerang Independant Terminals Sdn. Bhd., during which we covered basic knowledge and understanding of mangroves, seagrass and coral reef ecosystems. We also discussed the roles of corporations and industries in protecting and preserving the environment.

Awareness program with Pengerang Independant Terminals Sdn. Bhd

Growing our program: Volunteer Seagrass Monitoring and Education

Together with six volunteers from DIALOG Group Berhad, we began our first quarterly seagrass monitoring program at Tanjung Kopok. This will be an ongoing initiative to observe the changes in seagrass cover near the Johor rives, which is part of our long-term seagrass conservation programme in southern Johor. The volunteers were also taken on an educational boat tour to explore uniqueness of the mangrove forest found along the Johor river and its significance to the local marine habitat and community livelihood.

Seagrass monitoring at Tanjung Kopok

Our team in Johor has also engaged with representatives from Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang (MBPG) to introduce Reef Check Malaysia’s ongoing marine conservation programme in the area and discuss potential environmental programmes that can be conducted together. This is also part of our efforts to increase local community awareness of seagrass and mangrove ecosystem found along the Johor river.

Sabah Updates: April - June 2024

tackling coral bleaching in sabah

As you may already know, RCM staff in all our locations have been actively monitoring coral bleaching. In Sabah, we’ve been working closely with local stakeholders, NGOs, and governmental organisations such as Sabah Parks, for both our bleaching monitoring and reef rehabilitation activities. On Mabul Island, no severe bleaching was observed, and reef rehabilitation efforts were actively led by RCM interns and the local youth group. Similarly, the Larapan Marine Conservation Group (LMCG), supervised by the same interns, reported no severe bleaching in early May but identified issues due to drupella predation. However, towards the end of May, the monitoring on Larapan Island revealed a significant rise in coral bleaching.

In Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, bleaching rates were critically high, affecting 70-80% of coral populations, prompting a response plan with Sabah Parks. Coral reefs in Mantanani Island and Usukan, Kota Belud also exhibited high bleaching percentages while other sites in Turtle Island Park, Semporna, and Kudat remained relatively resilient to this bleaching event.

Severe bleaching in one of the monitored sites

Reef Check Surveys in Sabah: Tackling Conservation Challenges with Community Support

Throughout the month of May, several Reef Check surveys were conducted across Sabah, revealing both progress and ongoing challenges in marine conservation. RCM colleagues alongside staff from Sabah Parks completed the annual survey at Taman Pulau Tiga. Meanwhile, the survey team at Usukan Cove Lodge involved RCM staff and local youth trained in Semporna, who completed the surveys at 11 out of 12 sites.

The surveys in Mantanani Island were completed in 5 days, and it highlighted the persistent issues of fish bombing, spear fishing, and anchoring, but also celebrated the removal of a ghost net from Stingray Point. Despite challenges, these efforts underscore our commitment to marine conservation and the importance of community involvement.

An EcoDiver conducting an RC survey in Mabul

kota kinabalu

empowering wanis: environmental and Craft Workshops

In May and June 2024, a series of women empowerment workshops were organized for WANIS in Kg. Song-Song. On May 12, an environmental workshop led by Michael Yap from Seagrass Guardians, under APPGM-SDG, engaged 20 WANIS members. For 5 days in May, a handicraft workshop trained 10 members in weaving with pandan leaves or “daun Serdang”, conducted by local experts. Additionally, we’ve also organised a Community Capacity Building Program for the local women, and they are two sessions away from completing it.

Some of the finished product (mats) during the weaving class

Educating the Future: Marine Awareness program

In May, our colleagues Adzmin and Calvin carried out a marine awareness program with SK Lok Yuk, Inanam. This school is an eco-school, which is active in environmental conservation activities and programs. The program was joined by around 200 upper primary school students who showed great participation throughout the program. We also set up a small booth with our educational materials at the school for the students and teachers to read and get to know Reef Check in general.

Calvin speaking to SK Lok Yuk during the awareness program

Reef Check Progress update: RCM’s Meeting with TSMP Director 

RCM paid a courtesy visit to Tn Ghazalie, the Park Director for Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP) to update him on all efforts carried out with the Selakan Island community, under the KePKAS TSMP fund. The Director was briefed on projects such as reef rehabilitation monitoring, fish diversity monitoring and coral bleaching monitoring as well as trainings on fish survey, seagrass survey, bleaching and ghost net removal protocol.

We also introduced and discussed the upcoming sea patrolling project under the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. The Director supported the project and expressed an intention to build few posts around the reef (where appropriate) to be used by the local community to do the patrolling. We also shared several reports with Tn. Ghazalie, including those on coral restoration in Selakan, community needs analysis, the Annual Reef Check Survey report and a few copies of Eco-Friendly Snorkel Guide (EFSG) booklet.

MANTANANI

Island Waste Management: Seeking Cost-Effective Solutions

In mid-June, our team on the island sent out 62 bundles of compressed plastics weighing almost 700kg to the mainland in Kota Belud. The company that bought the recyclables paid us RM50 for it, which we used to cover the cost of transportation. In the last quarter, we successfully sent out 1,720kg of general trash to the Kayu Madang landfills. We are still looking for a more cost effective solution to handle the waste management program on the island, so do reach out to us should you have any suggestions!

Bundled of plastic bottles to be transported out of the island

Students of SK Mantanani during a field visit

Hands-On Learning: SK mantanani students explore ecosystems

In the mean time, our colleague Diana conducts awareness and education programs with the students of SK Mantanani. Among some of the topics discussed includes Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Seagrass and Recycling. The students attended classroom sessions and were also taken out to the field for snorkeling and beach walks.

local achievements: mantanani homestays continue to grow

In April, Mantanani Homestays collaborated once again with POLYCC to conduct a “batik” cake-making course for 20 villagers, including all homestay residents. At the end of the program, participants were given a recipe book and a box of cakes that they had learned to make.

We’re happy to report that from January to June this year, the net income of Mantanani Homestays is around RM44,980, with a total of 366 visitors. Our local homestay operators have certainly come a long way, having attended several skills trainings which have helped them grow their business sustainably. We’re excited to see what else is in store for them.

SEMPORNA

Community Engagement highlight progress of local efforts

At the end of March, RCM’s Semporna team conducted a community engagement activity at Selakan Island, to present the current progress update of the Community-Based Coral Restoration and Conservation Project at Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The update, delivered by RCM staff, Fauzi, was presented to the community leaders, village elders and other villagers. We also held a meeting with the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) members to discuss future conservation activities, such as bleaching monitoring, underwater clean up, ghost net removals, mooring buoy installation, and other methods for coral restoration. In the evening, we held a “Jamuan Berbuka Puasa” with the community, joined by the “Ketua Kampung” (village head).

Fauzi from RCM, presenting the progress update in Selakan Island

Community engagement session on Larapan Island

In April, a community engagement activity was conducted in Larapan Island, to present the progress of the Community-Based Waste Management Program and Coral Rehabilitation Program. 91 household representatives attended this session, during which we discussed the progress of all our activities, as well as presenting a short briefing on to Reef Check Malaysia and the Coral Reef Ecosystem. In the evening, we held a “Jamuan Berbuka Puasa” with the local community.

Enhancing Skills through workshops on marine conservation and Financing

In April, RCM conducted a series of trainings with the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) members. The trainings include ghost-net removal protocol, RDT-Modified Fish Survey Protocol, Bleaching Monitoring Protocol and Seagrass Survey Protocol. All these trainings involved theoretical and practical components to properly equip participants with the necessary skills for each activity.

A training session with SMCG members

We also conducted a ‘Financing Mechanism Workshop’ under IKI with 10 youths from Larapan Island. During the workshop, we discussed and planned for possible products for tourists, such as coral adoption programs and other conservation works, to support long-term conservation work in the island. Each participant was taught how to calculate expenses to come up with reasonable prices for marketing the products, as well as some business tips for ensuring the continuity of this program. Similar workshops will be conducted in Mabul and Kulapuan islands soon.

Group discussion during the ‘Financing Mechanism Workshop’

Larapan Island Waste Management: Issues and Solutions

In June, our colleague Fauzi monitored the daily waste management collection activities by part-timer staff on Larapan Island. The staff were divided into 3 groups covering 30+ houses each, working on a total of 105 houses. A quick observation noted that most houses only used one out of three bin that were provided, and the waste were still not segregated regularly. This is probably due to the bin being broken, lost or used for other purposes like goods keeping and water collection. Since the program has just begun, we will conduct regular monitoring to assist these households, help solve the issues and hopefully encourage the compliance of the houses participating in the waste management program.

Monitoring of the daily waste management collection activities in Larapan Island

Community Sea Patrolling: Discussion and Training

In June, our colleagues engaged in two discussion sessions with the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG), with regards to the new ‘Community-Led Sea Patrolling’ Project. The discussions include details of the sea patrolling methodology, as part of the initial training for the patrolling team. We also ran through details of the community sea patrolling in Selakan, including risk and mitigation plan, as well as conducted a GPS and Stimulation training on engaging and approaching fishermen.  

Group discussion on the sea patrolling project

Cintai Tioman: April - June 2024

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.

Reef Check survey in progress

Coral bleaching monitoring technique

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.

Coral pots placed during Watsons Blue Beauty campaign

Clean-up done by the KPMG team

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.

The team involved in ghost nets clean-up

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.

Briefing during a Green Fins evaluation

Cintai Mersing: April - June 2024

annual Reef Check Surveys capture coral bleaching

Our colleagues were joined by EcoDivers from among the local community of Sibu Island as we kicked off our annual Reef Check surveys in the Mersing Islands. Additionally, with the support from the divers from Department of Fisheries Johor (DoF) and Tengah Island Conservation (TIC), we have completed 26 out of 36 surveys for the year. Unfortunately, just as in Tioman, we’ve also recorded an increasing number of sites facing coral bleaching, as a result of rising sea surface temperature. 

Reef Check surveys with EcoDivers from Sibu Island

Reef Mapping to enhance coral reef management

Two reef mapping activities were carried out at Pulau Aur and Pulau Pemanggil to determine the coverage of coral reef areas in the Mersing islands. The findings of this mapping exercise will provide the team with a better understanding of how coral reefs are distributed throughout the islands and contribute towards an improved marine resource management in the future. We are very appreciative of the local island communities and AC Dayang Island Resort for sharing valuable local knowledge about the coral reefs surrounding these islands.

Diver assessing the reef during a reef mapping activity

Recycling Our Way to Lesser Trash

Following a series of consultations with the community members of Pulau Aur and Pulau Pemanggil, we learned that most of the island residents are ready to initiate a community recycling programme on their respective islands, similar to the recycling programme that has been rolled-out in Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi in the past two years.

In the last 6 months, more than 900kg of recyclables were collected from the Pulau Sibu Rumah Kitar Semula (RKS), all of which was sent to the recycling centre on mainland Mersing. These materials, collected from both Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi, included plastic bottles, metal and aluminum cans, and glass bottles. We are very pleased and proud of the island communities’ commitment in ensuring that the recycling program is a success.

Consultation with island community during house-to-house visits

Local community segregating collected recyclable materials

Our Corals Are Bleaching - How We Can Save Them

Our Corals Are Bleaching

I recently wrote about the coral bleaching that is happening right now around Malaysia.

Since that post just a few days ago, monitoring data has shown that in some areas up to 80% of corals are bleaching.

What are we doing now?

Managing Coral Bleaching – Removing Coral Predators

As noted previously, there is little we can do on a local level, but we are doing what we can.

Bleached coral reefs are vulnerable to attack by predators including the crown of thorns starfish (COTs) and drupella snails – both are corallivores, and they eat corals. So, our field teams are doing their best to identify sites worst affected by these corallivores and will try to remove them where possible.

If you go diving, please help us by letting us know if you see a site with either COTs or drupella. You can let us know by emailing us at hello@reefcheck.org.my.

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COT) removal by the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG)

Managing Coral Bleaching – Reducing Physical Impacts to Corals

Reducing physical impacts from divers and snorkelers, especially at important, resilient, sites is another immediate response we can take.

At the recent Malaysia International Dive Exhibition (MIDE) during the Ocean day weekend, I spoke to a number of dive operators who are concerned about bleaching and asked what they could do to help. Many of them agreed with the need to avoid vulnerable or important reef sites and we are communicating with them now on which sites they should avoid.

If you are planning a trip, you can help by asking your dive operator if they are observing the advice on avoiding these sites.

We need to avoid vulnerable or important reef sites

Managing Coral Bleaching – Continued Coral Bleaching Monitoring

Finally, continued monitoring is important.

At the moment we are tracking the onset and spread of bleaching.

Only over the next few weeks will we be able to see the real impact of the bleaching – what level of mortality and survival will we see? Are there any signs that corals are adapting to warmer temperatures? And what does all this mean to reef users?

So, please continue to report coral bleaching if you are going diving; we need all the data we can get.

Report coral bleaching to us!

You Can Make A Difference

It’s going to be some weeks – or even months – before the picture becomes clearer. In the meantime, we must all do what we can to protect reefs from local impacts.

No, it doesn’t fix the bigger problem of global heating; but it’s the little bit that we can each do to make our own contribution to conserving these important ecosystems.

Please contact me at julian@reefcheck.org.my if you have any questions or want to know more about bleaching.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Our Oceans are in a World of Pain – time to celebrate World Oceans Day

It’s One Ocean

The ocean? The oceans? We can’t even find the right words to describe our lungs, supermarket and waste disposal system. Because that’s what the ocean is.

In fact, we don’t even have a consistent answer for how many there are – when I was a kid it was always five…but apparently historically there were four (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic) with the fifth (Southern, or Antarctic) only being added more recently.

Not that it matters – it’s all one ocean, really, in terms of connectivity. So I’m going to use the singular and refer to Our Ocean.

The Importance of Our Ocean

Which, as I’m sure many people know, are incredibly important to life on earth.

Covering 71% of the earth’s surface, it is the single largest ecosystem in the world and in the past provided the channel through which significant global migrations could occur – Asia to the Americas, trans-Pacific ocean journeys.

It is our ocean

The ocean is the source of 50% of the oxygen we breathe, hosts an estimated 94% of all species on Earth and is home to the largest living structure on earth – the Great Barrier Reef. 37 of 50 critical minerals can be found in the ocean…Yet less than 10% of the ocean has been mapped.

Us vs Our Ocean?

And look how we treat this treasure. We treat it like a giant trash bin, and an open sewer. 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. Pollution from land clearing and urban settlements are released into it every day, not to mention oil spills, discarded fishing nets and coastal habitat destruction. We are over-fishing it to the point of collapse.

Some asset.

Climate Change And Our Ocean

And now climate change, bringing with it stronger storms and higher tides, causing even more damage to our own habitat, particularly for those living near the coast – as is common in this part of the world. Already we have seen houses swept away in storms stronger than local islanders can recall.

Not to mention ocean warming.

At a time when the ocean is facing ever-growing threats, it seems somehow appropriate that we celebrate World Ocean Day while we are experiencing what is now accepted as the 4th global coral bleaching event.

Coral bleaching in Pulau Aur and Pemanggil

One of our most important marine ecosystems, coral reefs is currently experiencing record temperature highs, which most scientists accept is a result of global heating.

First, they bleach – when warm water causes the coral to expel tiny algae that normally live inside their tissues. If the water stays too warm for too long, corals will start to die.

When the corals are stressed, they turn white as they expel the algae that provide them with its colour and nutrients

Our Corals Are Bleaching

Our surveys over recent weeks show that in some areas, over 50% of corals are bleaching. At one site in Tioman island, the percentage of the population bleached has increased from below 10% to nearly 30%...in 15 days.

We don’t know how long the water will stay warm – data from NOAA suggest it will be several weeks, and we can’t be certain whether there will be any coral mortality.

What Can We Do When The Corals Are Bleaching

But whatever happens, we need to do two things:

• Immediately we need to look after the reefs we have by reducing local threats from tourism (sorry, but it’s the simplest, quickest solution in the short term) and waste and pollution, as well as managing coral predators.

• In the medium term, we need to find ways to increase the resilience of coral reefs – addressing sewage pollution, for example.

But the biggest problem?

Global heating?

Sorry – can’t fix that. That is going to require international agreements – which frankly are not looking too likely at the moment, given the continuing expansion of fossil fuel extraction, continuing subsidies…ok, I won’t go on.

You know what the problems are.

So please: celebrate World Oceans Day; think about what the Ocean gives to society. Then think about what we would be losing if we don’t look after it.

Happy World Oceans Day.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or you could also donate towards our cause.

Coral Resilience: Understanding the Challenges and Roadblocks - A Candid Discussion

Coral Resilience? Again?

You: Resilience? Again?

Me: Yep.

You: Why? Isn’t it getting boring?

You: Nope. More like frustrating.

You: Care to explain?

You: Sure.

Coral Bleaching Is Happening

Over the last couple of weeks, various sources have confirmed the emergence of the Fourth Global Bleaching Event (e.g.: ICRI). RCM has been covering this on its social media for several months; we have been tracking the NOAA satellite data on ocean temperatures and slowly watching this unfold.

It’s not like we weren’t warned. We’ve been conducting bleaching monitoring surveys around Malaysia for a few weeks now, and bleaching is emerging in some areas (though the data are still patchy).

We’ve been conducting bleaching monitoring surveys around Malaysia for a few weeks

What Is Coral Bleaching?

For those of you who haven’t already seen this, coral bleaching is what happens when corals are stressed. They expel tiny algae living inside their tissues into the surrounding water. Those algae (called zooxanthellae, or zooks for short) give the coral both its colour and most of its food. The white, calcium carbonate skeleton under the coral tissue is exposed, giving them the characteristic “bleached look”.

Coral that has been partially bleached.

And one of the main stressors is…warm water. The waters around Malaysia are usually around 28C. Currently, we are getting reports of 30-31C – too warm for corals. Hence: bleaching event.

And it’s not confined to Malaysia – it’s the whole region.

So…what can we do during coral bleaching?

To be honest? On a local level, very little.

Because we can’t control carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at a local level – and the science suggests that CO2 emissions are leading to warming oceans – so we can’t stop ocean warming at a local level; that’s an inter-governmental thing.

That’s a global issue.

Remember – stress causes corals to expel the algae living inside them. And those algae provide the coral with a large proportion of its food, so basically, they are on a starvation diet – they become pretty weak. They can’t fight off disease as easily as they might normally, for example.

RCM monitors for coral bleaching to understand the survivability of corals after the coral bleaching event

Once a bleaching event is upon us – which is right now – about all we can do is control local threats to coral reefs, so the reefs are left as undisturbed as possible while they are in this weakened state. Unfortunately, chucking loads of ice in the water to cool it down isn’t a serious option!

Our bible on this is the Reef Manager's Guide to Coral Bleaching which is the basis for the Bleaching Response Plan we developed after the last major bleaching event to hit Malaysia in 2010.

Will Resilience Help Coral Reefs To Survive?

Yes.

After the last major bleaching in 2010, we had to admit that taking action during a coral bleaching event is (to use an old phrase) like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic…makes you feel good, but ultimately, the ship is doomed to go down.

So, we looked around at what we can do to help. And resilience is the answer.

What Is Coral Resilience?

Resilience simply describes a characteristic of ecosystems (and people and societies) that reflects their ability to withstand or bounce back after a major external threat/event.

Take the COVID pandemic – the healthiest economies – the most resilient ones – were the first to bounce back once the pandemic ended.

So, while, at a local level, there’s not much we can do about CO2 levels in the atmosphere, we can identify the major threats facing reefs locally, and do something to manage them so that reefs are as healthy as possible to withstand and recover from future bleaching events.

The Key Coral Resilience Factors

The key resilience factors that we need to protect are:

• Water quality: we need to reduce pollution from sewage, land clearing, etc

• Physical impacts: which on our islands is mainly tourism. We need to manage tourism better – less tourists perhaps? Better management of activities such as diving and snorkelling so people aren’t using anchors or standing on corals…

• Herbivores: that’s “grass-eating fish” to you and I…certain fish (like parrot fish) graze on algae that grow on dead coral; taking out the herbivores means algae grows unchecked, smothering the surface of the reef, and preventing corals from re-growing. We have to stop fishing on the reefs.

There are still locals resorting to unsustainable fishing practices such as fishbombing.

It’s not rocket science.

Taking these few simple measures would help to build the resilience of the reefs, enhancing their chances of surviving a bleaching event.

What Do We Need To Do Now To Build Resilience?

Somehow, we don’t seem to be able to get it together to actually do much about resilience. And with the onset of this latest global bleaching event, I’m not sure that reefs are that much more resilient than they were back in 2010.

This is important because if reefs start to die off, we lose an important habitat for fisheries. Reefs are said to provide a home for 25% of all marine life.

Simply put (and it’s not the first time I’ve said this): no reefs, no fish. Not to mention all the tourist jobs they support.

But responsibility for managing these various issues is spread between a variety of institutions at the state and federal levels, and we haven’t found a way to get them working together.

That’s the frustration! It’s no one’s fault, really; it’s a feature of Malaysia’s system of government. Silo thinking, perhaps?

Our Role In Building Coral Resilience

We can all play a role in helping to resolve this:

• Managing water quality? Speak to the local government and housing people; involve state governments.

• Physical impacts? Speak to MOTAC about limiting tourist numbers; encourage local operators to adopt reef-friendly practices.

• Herbivores? Educate coastal communities about how important they are in the ecosystem.

We need to limit tourist numbers and encourage local operators to adopt reef-friendly practices

It’s going to take a collective effort. Time to end silo thinking!

We are open to suggestions and collaborations to address the challenges raised above. We can’t overestimate the urgency of making progress to address local threats to coral reefs – well-known, with simple, mainly low-cost solutions – so we can build resilience.

Bleaching is happening now; it will happen again. Write your representative; or feel free to contact us at hello@reefcheck.org.my if you have any ideas or suggestions.

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If you'd like to support us, you can follow our social media pages for any updates on our work and volunteering opportunities, or donate towards our cause.

Reef Check Malaysia – About More Than Just Coral Reefs

The Growth of Reef Check Malaysia

One of the most fascinating things to me about my work at RCM has been the way that the organisation has evolved over the years – both in size and in the work that it does.

A young me, with a mission and vision to save Malaysia’s coral reefs. Photo credit: Going Places

In the beginning…

Conceived as a “citizen science” approach to coral reef monitoring, Reef Check started life in 1996 as a means to involve interested divers in reef monitoring.

Reef Check Foundation was established in 1997, and a coordinator was appointed in Malaysia in 2001. Reef Check Malaysia was registered as a “Company Limited by Guarantee” in 2007, and thus it all began.

At first, RCM was all about coral reef surveys.

The first surveys organised by RCM were conducted in 2007 – just 16 surveys at sites around the islands off the East coast (Tioman, Redang and Perhentian). That has now grown to a national survey covering some 300 sites around the country.

We now have an unparalleled data set stretching back 17 years, and we have a very good understanding of how the health of coral reefs around Malaysia is changing.

First growth

It didn’t last long.

In 2008, we were asked by the (then) Department of Marine Parks Malaysia, a Department in the Ministry of Environment, to conduct some education programmes for communities on the main islands off the East coast. This grew into a programme that now covers coral reef areas around Malaysia.

A few years later, we started to realise that a wider education and awareness effort was necessary, and our advocacy activities started in earnest. Initially focusing on preparing “advocacy reports” on topics as diverse as sewage pollution, diver impacts and tourism sustainability, we now have a wide array of channels we use to get across our message that coral reefs are important ecosystems that we need to look after better.

RCM in marine Management

Somehow, in around 2015, we began to understand that if we were to have real impact, we needed to find a role to play in management.

This was difficult to conceptualise because the management of the Marine Protected Areas in Malaysia is the sole province of government agencies, with limited scope for NGOs like ourselves to play a meaningful role.

But slowly, our thinking evolved, and we started to see how we could play a role in empowering local communities. That was when we established our first field office in Tioman Island.

Why Tioman?

Simple – I lived there for several years running a dive centre, and the place is close to my heart. We had already been doing surveys and educational programmes for a number of years, and we were very aware that local islanders wanted to play a bigger role in managing “their” resources.

Thus, the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) was born, a group of local islanders who were interested in being involved. We trained them as advanced divers, taught them how to conduct Reef Check surveys and we were on our way!

TMCG working to remove 440kg of ghost nets.

Now, TMCG conducts regular conservation programmes including ghost net removal, predator management, mooring buoy maintenance and coral rehabilitation. There are over 80 members in the group, and they have a presence in all 7 villages on the island.

This was a game-changer. For the first time, local islanders were doing the surveys and rehabilitation work themselves. Telling their peers about what is happening to the reefs is a much more powerful message than a bunch of outsiders interfering and telling them what they should be doing.

We now have similar groups growing in the Mersing Islands, Redang Island, Perhentian Island, Mantanani Island and the Semporna Islands. The enthusiasm and commitment are amazing.

Thematic development

And thematically, we have grown, too. First, it was monitoring; then, we were looking at how to get locals involved in management.

Then we started thinking about how the islands are all connected to each other, which culminated in a two-year study of currents and larval flow off the East coast, which received huge input from DHI consulting and scientists from University Malaya.

It didn’t stop there, and now we are looking at new MPAs and sustainable financing.

Now, we are looking at new MPAs and sustainable financing.

A lightbulb moment

Over the last few years, as our strategic thinking and planning got a bit more “grown-up”, we came to realise we were only seeing part of the picture. This really emerged during a series of webinars we held in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was perhaps a time when lots of people were sitting at home with spare thinking capacity!

We invited three specialists in different marine ecosystems to explain their work to us: Dr Aldrie Amir, a mangrove specialist; Dr Jillian Ooi, a seagrass specialist; and Affendi Yang Amri, a coral specialist.

Somehow, out of the conversation came the realisation that “it’s all connected”.

I’m not claiming we discovered anything radically new; the connections between these three ecosystems are well established – for example, all three play a critical role in fisheries; they are important in coastal protection; and they are important for the livelihoods of coastal communities.

But it was new for us, and it really was a light bulb moment. Because we realised that we couldn’t look at coral reefs in isolation. They are connected ecologically, the health of one impacting the health of the others. They are also connected economically, with fisheries, tourism and climate change impacts affecting them all.

A change in vision

And so here we are, nearly four years later, formally announcing a change in our vision and mission.

It’s not that complicated!

All we did was change “coral reefs” to “marine ecosystems” in our vision and mission statements, and voila!

So: Reef Check Malaysia’s Vision, unchanged since we first developed it back in 2008, is now:

“Sustainably managed marine ecosystems in Malaysia”

And our Mission is:

“To bring together stakeholders to collaborate on marine ecosystem monitoring, management, research and conservation, and advocacy.”

We are still talking to those scientists to understand how we can help in these new areas. We are working with Dr Jillian on a seagrass project in Johor, and we are talking to Dr Aldrie about mangrove mapping and restoration. Affendi remains our go-to guy on all matters related to coral reef ecology.

We are working with Dr Jillian on a seagrass project in Johor

Size matters…

Oh, and that size thing?

When we started in 2007 we had 1.5 staff (I was the 0.5!). Now we have 22, mainly working at field offices around Malaysia. And over 100 members of local communities who are doing the hard yards out in the field.

We are now 22 members strong

Who knows where the next few years will take us!

Cintai Redang: January - March 2024

2024 marks the second year since RCM began working in Redang Island. Let’s look back and some of our achievements on the island in 2023:

• 6 Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) members received their Open Water Dive license

• 5 RMCG members are now EcoDivers and are able to assist with Reef Check Surveys

• RMCG EcoDivers successfully conducted Reef Check surveys and collected data from 18 survey sites around Redang Island

• RMCG members successfully removed 90 Crown of Thorns starfish (COT), and also removed a whooping  274kg ghost nets from 8 locations around Redang Island

reef rehabilitation and bleaching monitoring

In January, our team on Redang Island returned to our reef rehabilitation sites for a monitoring activity. We were pleasantly surprised to see that our structures deployed in July 2023 have now become a settlement ground for new coral recruits. The coral fragments that were planted are also growing well. Our team conducts monitoring and maintenance every two months, to keep track of the growth and health of the transplanted corals.

In February, 5 members of the RMCG team began conducting the coral reef bleaching monitoring in two selected sites in Redang. Data collected contribute towards an understanding of the bleaching phenomenon, and will be used to help measure the health of the reefs around the waters of Redang Island.

New coral recruit on the rehabilitation structure

Coral reef bleaching monitoring

RMCG meets TMCG

In February, our RMCG team and colleagues from Redang Island paid a visit to Tioman Island, to meet our RCM colleagues and Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) team! The RMCG team spent four days on Tioman, learning and sharing experiences with the TMCG team on various marine conservation efforts and issues. They also had the opportunity to conduct marine biodiversity monitoring as well as visiting “Rumah Hijau” where all the recycling activities are conducted.

RCM has been working to send our colleagues on the ground from one location to another, in an effort to help them learn and understand each other’s work and gain necessary insights which will help them serve their community better.

Consultation sessions with stakeholders

In February, our representative from Cintai Redang were invited to attend the 4th consultation session with regards to the gazettement of Rhu Island in Besut. Those in attendance include various stakeholders, such as government agencies and operators who run tourism businesses on Rhu Island. During these sessions, issues raised in the previous session are addressed and questions are answered, all of which aim to address every aspect to ensure proper and sustainable management of Rhu Island.

A couple of weeks later, our Cintai Redang team, together with the Department of Fisheries (DoF) organised a consultation and discussion session with stakeholders from Redang Island, regarding the management plans of Pantai Teluk Dalam. The three-hour session was a fruitful one, with many responses from the local islanders on various steps that could be undertaken to ensure the smooth progress of this programme.

RCM Redang staff, Muhaimin (in white) during the Rhu Island consultation session

Consultation and discussion with islanders

Sabah Updates: January - March 2024

kota kinabalu

“wanis” at sabah (sustainable development goals) SDG Conference

In January, the ‘Pertubuhan Wanita Kampung Song-Song’ (WANIS) attended the Sabah Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, where they presented their successful initiatives in empowering women within their village to enhance their quality of life. These efforts were acknowledged and appreciated by the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA), highlighting the organization's impactful contributions to sustainable development and women's empowerment in the region. WANIS has been actively empowering women of the village, equipping them with new skills that helps them with an alternative income, such as selling locally-made woven products (seen in the photo below).

WANIS representative, Kak Salina, at their booth for the Sabah SDG Conference

equipping stakeholders with new skills

In February, our colleagues from RCM conducted an Eco-Diver Training with the communities from Kg. Tajau Laut and Kg. Malubang, Kudat. Organized by Sabah Parks, this training aims to empower divers from the two villages to participate in reef conservation efforts and monitor the health of their marine ecosystems. We’ve conducted similar trainings for other local community members from other islands, and these representative were able to join us for activities such as reef rehabilitation and Reef Check surveys.

EcoDiver training with divers from the two villages

Besides the EcoDiver training, RCM also conducted a Coral Bleaching Monitoring Training with representatives from Sabah Parks as well as the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. This training was held in response to the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Satellite Bleaching Alert. Sessions included a detailed look at bleaching as well as understanding of the coral bleaching watch protocol to consistently monitor affected coral reefs by the rising water temperature. Collaboration with organizations like Sabah Parks and the BMRI suggests a comprehensive approach involving research, conservation, and management of coral reef ecosystems in the region.

semporna

Mooring buoys to reduce anchor impact

In January, our colleagues in Semporna, together with representatives from Jeti Pelancong Semporna, the Semporna Professional Divers Association - SPDA, Semporna District Office, youth leaders from the Larapan Marine Conservation Groups, and Pulau Sipadan Resorts & Tours, deployed four mooring buoys in Timba-Timba Island.

These sites are famous tourist sites, who come over for snorkelling or diving. Recognising the possible damage caused by anchor impact, the installation was done promptly to solve the problem and to promote the use of mooring buoys in other sites too. Each of the buoys are able to accommodate 3 to 5 boats at a time, as they are supported by sinkers made from metal drums filled with cement.

Heavy duty rope to connect the metal drums and mooring buoy

Boats utilizing the mooring buoys instead of anchoring

reef rehabilitation demonstrating promising progress

Efforts to rehabilitate and restore reef areas in the waters of Semporna have been making quick strides, with the full support from the local communities. In Selakan Island, we deployed 215 reef stars in the second phase. To date, we’ve successfully deployed 500 reef stars with 7,575 coral fragments. Throughout this second phase, we had support and participation from 60 community members of Selakan Island, the Selakan Marine Conservation Group, Sabah Parks, and Reef Check Malaysia (RCM). At the end of the programme, we organised a closing and appreciation night for everyone who came together and played a part in the project.

Local islanders of every age group helping with the sand-coating activity

Meanwhile, on Kulapuan Island, we installed two types of rehabilitation structures with help from representatives from Larapan Marine Conservation Group and Pemimpin Belia IKLIM Mabul. Five coral collection tables with 1,170 coral cookies and 161 bottle frames, each with a coral fragment were successfully deployed.

Coral Collection Tables and Coral Cookies affixed on it

Coral fragments on the botte frames

Not too long after these two projects, we installed some structures in a new site in Larapan Island. In this new reef rehabilitation sites, our team deployed 168 bottle reefs and affixed around 600 coral fragments on coral rope nurseries. All this was completed within the span of two days, along with conducting regular maintenance on existing rehabilitation sites.

Coral rope nurseries affixed with coral fragments

Community engagement on waste management

RCM’s staff, Fauzi, recently conducted an engagement session with the community on Larapan Island. This was done to discuss as well as update the progress and challenges of the waste management program run on the island. The turnout was encouraging with almost 70 members of the community present, including the ‘Ketua Kampung’ and the local Field Coordinator for the waste management program.

Fauzi also shared the progress of the coral restoration project on the island. Ten of the participating houses in the waste management program were awarded with a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for their full participation and compliance throughout 2023. We hope that this will encourage more households to actively participate in the program this year.

Mazni Jakarulla, the field coordinator, addressing the islanders

mantanani island

Education and Awareness Programmes

Along with all our conservation efforts with local communities, we’re also running continuous education programmes with the local schools on the islands we work on. In January, our colleague in Mantanani organised a snorkeling activity for 20 students and 3 teachers from SK Pulau Mantanani. During the activity, the students were able to see some coral reefs and marine life. These sightings were brought up during the review session at the end of the activity, where a brief background on coral reef ecosystem was also discussed.

As a follow up to the snorkeling activity, we had a classroom session on “The Ocean and Its Importances” with 45 students from Year 4-6 of SK Pulau Mantanani. During the session, we highlighted the importance of the ocean, the threats it faces and what we can do to help protect the ocean.

Snorkeling activity with the students

Our colleague, Diana, conducting the classroom session

waste management continues to receive support

Since its introduction about 3 years ago, the local islanders of Mantanani have been exposed to waste management and its benefits. Recently, our colleague on the island organised a community engagement session focusing on waste management, attended by close to 100 islanders. We discussed the challenges faced by the efforts, and also updated them regarding the current status and progress of the waste management programme. We also took the opportunity to award 80 households with a “Certificate of Excellence” for their full participation and compliance with the programme throughout 2023.

In an effort to extend the programme, our local waste management team on the island embarked on a trial to compost daily collected waste. On the first day of the trial, the team successfully processed more than 80kg of food waste which will be composted. This extension was tested in a bid to reduce the amount of food waste that is collected by the local team every day. We hope that in the near future, composting will be a regular activity adopted by the local community.

One of the households who received the certificate of excellence

Trial composting activity

Cintai Mersing: January - March 2024

Mooring buoys to protect reefs

We have successfully installed an additional eight mooring buoys at various snorkeling sites in Mersing islands’ which includes Pulau Harimau, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Besar. This activity was conducted in collaboration with Mersing District Council, local island community, and boat operators. The installation of mooring buoys offers a more environmentally friendly alternative as compared to the usage of anchors which can be damaging to marine habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass beds and other underwater ecosystems. Additionally, the mooring buoys also help to facilitate safe boat operations and island-hopping activities around coral reef areas on these islands.

Boat operators using one of the newly installed mooring buoys

school break happenings

During the recent February school holidays, we held an awareness programme in collaboration with the Mersing District Council, attended by 20 local youths and community members from Mersing. The programme began with a beach cleanup at Mersing town beach, where 60kg of marine debris was gathered and sorted.

Furthermore, a microplastic demonstration was conducted by sieving the beach sand to observe the presence of microplastic. Participants also embarked on an educational tour to explore the marine ecosystem of Pulau Mawar. Alongside learning about mangroves ecosystem and coastal environment, participants gained insights into the geological formation of the area and its contribution to the diverse marine ecosystems found in Mersing.

Participants collecting debris along the Mersing town beach

success and expansion of recycling programme

The recycling programme in Pulau Tinggi has successfully collected over 100kg of recyclable materials, including plastic bottles, metal and aluminum tins, and glass bottles. Since its inception in August 2023, the programme has received overwhelming support and participation from the islanders, as well as tourism operators who have expressed interest to collaborate in this initiative.

This year, we plan to extend the recycling programme to Pulau Aur and Pemanggil. We hope that by sharing the outcomes and progress achieved through the recycling programmes in Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi with other island communities, the initiatives will also be accepted across the Mersing islands.

Young islanders eager to help with the collection of recyclables

Three different bins for recyclables in Pulau Tinggi

Cintai Tioman: January - March 2024

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. 

Working together to remove ghost nets

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.

RCM and TMCG members conducting a bleaching survey

One of the steps in the bleaching survey

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.

Collection of samples during the microplastic sampling

“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.

Educational tour in the mangrove swamp in Juara Village

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.

Community Engagement for Plastic-Free Kuala Lumpur and Beyond

Author: Chook Jia Wei and Arockia E J Ferdin

Plastic waste mismanagement at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. 📸 credit: Chook Jia Wei

Plastics and us

Plastic is not just around us; it's in our bodies, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Managing plastic waste properly can help reduce its negative impacts on every form of life on Earth. Did you know that each person in Malaysia uses about 16 kilograms of plastic packaging every year? That’s the highest rate in Southeast Asia.

Globally, Malaysia is ranked eighth in plastic waste mismanagement, contributing significantly to marine pollution. Our policies haven’t been strong enough, and our recycling systems need improvement. Practices such as open dumping, littering, and open burning are common due to the government's challenges in managing plastic waste on a large scale.

Plastic pollution pose a serious threat to our health and the health of our environment.

Yet, there's hope, as local NGOs and communities are becoming increasingly aware of the issues associated with plastics.

For example, residential associations in Petaling Jaya and Damansara have taken initiatives into their own hands by setting up recycling stations in their neighbourhoods. They've also organised workshops to repurpose plastics within their community.

plastic waste management and the locals

As a resident of Kuala Lumpur, I’ve witnessed the challenges we face with plastic waste management. I have been practising a zero-waste lifestyle for years and often educate my family and friends about the concept, encouraging them to refuse plastics in the first place. During my master’s studies in Taiwan, I realised that public support is crucial in shaping policies to beat plastic pollution. Policies without understanding community preferences are likely to fail in achieving their intended goals.

Communities play a vital role in plastic waste management in Malaysia. I was motivated to understand which management strategies communities prefer to assist policymakers in managing plastic waste, hoping that it will contribute to Malaysia’s goal of achieving zero single-use plastics by 2030.

Our study explored Kuala Lumpur residents' preferences for plastic waste management. We found that:

• 83% do not separate waste at home.

• 78% are not satisfied with the way contractors manage plastic waste.

• 64% do not agree with the current education system regarding plastic waste management.

The local communities have not been given opportunities and facilities to separate waste at home, which is very similar to other Southeast Asian countries. This indicates that our respondents were clearly not satisfied with the way contractors handle waste in Malaysia. One significant point of dissatisfaction is the effectiveness of education in plastic waste management. This suggests that the exam-oriented Malaysian education system is not prioritising environmental education to empower the next generation.

the study on plastic waste management

We identified one group, likely to be comprised of individuals of Chinese ethnicity, who favoured zero-waste lifestyle workshops, collaborations between residential associations, and involving residential associations and plastic recycling companies for campaign collaboration. They also support banning single-use plastics at academic institutions, religious centres, and governmental agencies. Another group favoured a ban on single-use plastics in local markets and restaurants.

Together, our findings inform local communities’ preferences and public perceptions that assist policymakers in designing effective policies that garner public support. As Malaysia is a multicultural country, identifying these preferences is crucial for targeting communities for effective plastic waste management supported by the local communities.

Plastics are among the highest amount of trash collected during the International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) in Terengganu in 2023.

Arockia E J Ferdin, one of the lead authors of this paper, suggests that local communities, especially the younger generation, need to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle. This approach is key to learning, leading, and educating the elderly and local communities to embrace the zero-waste lifestyle, thereby raising awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution.

Our study provides policy recommendations that include:

1. Encouraging residential associations to create plastic-free backyards.

2. Organising workshops about waste separation at the local level.

3. Making recycling more accessible for the public by providing essential infrastructure.

4. Designing and promoting waste separation guidelines in English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil languages to reach a broader range of households.

5. Developing a plastic waste management plan for Kuala Lumpur.

While the urbanisation of Kuala Lumpur provides opportunities for people to move in and work, changes in consumption behaviour and urban lifestyle pose additional challenges for the local government in handling plastic waste. Can the city of Kuala Lumpur overcome these challenges and become a role model for other capital cities in Southeast Asia?

Our study offers comprehensive insights into plastic waste management rooted in locals' preferences that could assist local government authorities and policymakers in effectively designing and implementing plastic waste management strategies. However, we believe every individual plays a crucial role in eliminating plastic pollution from our lives and the environment.

For further reading, please refer to the readable link: https://rdcu.be/ds31t

Article link: Chook, J.W., Ferdin, A.E.J. & Lee, CH. Unmasking Malaysian preferences for effective plastic waste management: a choice experiment approach. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 26, 512–528 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01850-1

For more information, you may contact the authors: Chook Jia Wei (christina.c25@outlook.com) and Arockia E J Ferdin (ferdin90@protonmail.com)

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The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, opinions or views of Reef Check Malaysia. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

Paying The Price of Biodiversity

So pretty much everyone agrees: we need to conserve biodiversity

Everybody is talking about biodiversity and the need to conserve it.

But who is going to pay???

The Sustainable Development Goals talk about it; the Malaysian National Policy on Biological Diversity is all about it…as is the recently signed Global Biodiversity Framework. So pretty much everyone agrees: we need to conserve biodiversity.

We seem to understand how. But the question no one can answer yet is: who is going to pay for it?

 The History of Paying for BiodiversityIn 2021, the British Government published what has become one of the most authoritative reports on the topic of the economics of biodiversity – the Dasgputa Review. The Foreword starts with the following passage:

We are facing a global crisis. We are totally dependent upon the natural world. It supplies us with every oxygen-laden breath we take and every mouthful of food we eat. But we are currently damaging it so profoundly that many of its natural systems are now on the verge of breakdown.

I mean, how much more do we need to know?

The full report is over 600 pages long. Fortunately there is a summary of the headline messages, which says, essentially, that our current use of biodiversity is unsustainable and it is endangering the prosperity of both current and future generations.

Pretty apocalyptic…but it does provide some pointers as to what we need to change: reduce demands on nature, recalibrate our measures of economic success, and transform institutions and systems.

The review talks about finance, saying that: “Financial flows devoted to enhancing our natural assets are small and are dwarfed by subsidies and other financial flows that harm these assets.”

Bit silly, that – spending more money hurting our best interests than on looking after them!

How Much Does Biodiversity Cost?

In a report entitled “Financing Nature: closing the Global Biodiversity Financing Gap” the authors state the following (see Executive Summary):

The gap between the amount currently spent on biodiversity conservation and what is needed is large, but it can be closed. As of 2019, current spending on biodiversity conservation is between $124 and $143 billion per year, against a total estimated biodiversity protection need of between $722 and $967 billion per year. This leaves a current biodiversity financing gap of between US$ 598 billion and US$ 824 billion per year.

Of course, that’s a ridiculous amount of money. Who can envisage that sort of sum?

What about Malaysia?

Bear with me while I do a silly sum:

Malaysian population (approx. 33 million)  /  global population (approx. 8 billion) = 0.41%

So, Malaysia accounts for about 0.41% of the world population.

Let’s say the biodiversity funding gap is somewhere in the mid-range, around U$ 700 billion per year.

If Malaysia were to invest the same proportion of its population on this gap then Malaysia needs to spend around US$ 290 million per year on biodiversity conservation. That’s about 78% of Malaysia’s GDP (2021: US $ 373 billion).

So where is the money coming from?

You can kind of see why people have trouble taking it seriously. Roads? Schools? Hospitals? No, let’s go plant some trees!

Ok, that’s kind of cynical, but my point is this: the scale of the challenge is intimidating.

If we are to protect the very biodiversity that we depend upon for food, oxygen, water, etc., then we are going to have to change our ways – or, believe, our ways are going to be changed for us – by nature.

Our Cintai Tioman team explored the mangrove with the next-generation ocean warriors' of Tioman Island.

I’m no expert on this stuff, but you don’t have to read too far before you come across some obvious issues: subsidies on fossil fuels; poor public transport…I won’t go on.

Sustainable funding for conservation

The good news (finally!) is that we can see some opportunities. The newly emerging financial solutions called “nature-based solutions” show great promise.

Ok, the carbon credit scene is a bit untidy, and there are questions about standards. But if we could arrange similar – better designed and regulated – systems for biodiversity conservation, then we might be able to create some sustainable funding opportunities.

As Rico, my economics guru, likes to say: “businesses don’t pay for externalities”. That’s things like the impacts of climate change on remote islands, washing away houses... Perhaps carbon or biodiversity credits will force businesses to do so – creating the cash flow we need for nature protection.

Seagrass Watch said seagrass can absorb 35 times faster than rainforests

One point you don’t hear very often alongside these scary figures: NOT making those investments will actually cost a lot more. Worth remembering.

An opportunity – and a challenge

If this creates an opportunity in Malaysia, it also creates a challenge: the way marine resources are managed in Malaysia will need to be transformed.

The “custodians” of marine biodiversity are, in effect, State governments, because most marine resources (mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, etc.) are in coastal areas – so effectively, they are on State land. And under the constitution, land is a state matter. But currently, State governments do not have much of a role in managing these ecosystems.

That’s going to have to change, and that’s why RCM is putting increasing effort into working with State governments to engage them in this important conversation.

Let’s see how that works out.