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Cintai Redang Updates: April – June 2026
Cintai Mersing Updates: April - June 2026Growing the Blue Schools NetworkRCM is excited to be part of the growing Blue Schools movement in Malaysia. This is an initiative that brings ocean literacy into schools through hands-on learning and real-world conservation...
Kota Kinabalu and Mantanani Updates: April – June 2026
Kota Kinabalu and Mantanani Updates: April - June 2026Celebrating Our Oceans Through LearningAs part of the 2026 Ocean Celebration, RCM joined conservation partners and marine experts in Sabah to strengthen collaboration and share knowledge for healthier oceans. Our...
Cintai Mersing Updates: April – June 2026
Cintai Mersing Updates: April - June 2026Turning Waste into OpportunityWhat if yesterday's rubbish could help restore tomorrow's reefs? Through RCM's Rumah Kitar Semula (RKS) recycling centres in Pulau Sibu, Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Aur, island communities are taking...
Cintai Tioman Updates: April – June 2026
Cintai Tioman Updates: April - June 202620 Years of Making a DifferenceFor the past 20 years, the KPMG Eco Diver Program has supported marine conservation on Tioman Island through its long-standing partnership with Reef Check Malaysia. Over the years, the programme...
South of Johor Updates: April – June 2026
South of Johor Updates: April - June 2026Growing a Greener Coast TogetherA healthy mangrove forest starts with a community that cares. In Kampung Pasir Gogok, around 30 community members came together to clean the coastline and prepare the site for new mangrove...
Semporna Updates: April – June 2026
Semporna Updates: April - June 2026Pioneering Seaweed RestorationA community-led conservation group from Pulau Selakan is playing a key role in Malaysia's first tropical eucheumatoid seaweed restoration project, led by Universiti Malaya in collaboration with Reef...
Julian’s Thoughts
Reflecting on 10 Years of Community Empowerment
The Beginning of CMCG The Tioman Marine Conservation Group has been successfully implementing conservation programmes for over 10 years now – all of it done by people from the local community who we have trained up. The group is now led by Shahir, our Programme...
Are Our Corals Bleaching Again?
Looks Like Coral Bleaching's Happening Again Remember 2024? I know, it seems like such a long time ago…but it’s only 2 years ago, and a lot has happened since then...(no, I’m not referring to Trump…!!) 2024 was declared by marine scientists as the fourth global...
Wastewater Management on Islands: The Missing Link in Ocean Protection
We need to talk about sewage treatment on our islands… Sheesh. It gets difficult when even the scientists can’t agree!! I recently posted a question on a coral science list server. I was motivated to do this because there was an on-going “discussion” about the...
The 2025 Reef Check Survey Results and What They Mean for Our Coral Reefs
Let's Talk About Our Reefs I’m not sure I know how to do this anymore, to make it effective and impactful. It feels like every year I talk about the results of the annual surveys…but nothing seems to change. But here we go… Overview of the 2025 Reef Check Survey...
Reef Check Malaysia’s 2025 Highlights and What’s Ahead in 2026
Reef Check Malaysia's 2025 As 2025 comes to a close, it’s traditional to look back on the year’s events – and look forward to the coming year. 2025 has been as busy a year as I can remember! Lots of great things happening, and I think we are laying a solid foundation...
The Mersing Islands Dilemma: To Close or Not to Close
To Close, or Not to Close…That Is The Question… Ok, paraphrasing Shakespeare is a cheap shot, but it just seemed appropriate. So, What’s The Problem? I’m referring, of course, to the recent closure of a number of islands off the East coast of Johor, near the town of...
Advocacy and Public Policy
From Depleted Seas to National Food Sovereignty: Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Reality
Of Coral Reefs and Food Security Just last week, I spoke about the relationship between coral reefs and food security, and how the Reef Check method assesses the health of coral reefs. You can read about it here. This week, it was discovered that the traditional...
Checking the Ocean’s Pulse: How the Reef Check Method Diagnoses Marine Health and Protects Local Livelihoods
Assessing The Health of Our Reefs Just like a doctor runs a diagnostic checkup on your health, marine conservationists use the standardised global Reef Check Survey Methodology to evaluate our underwater ecosystems. By deploying trained divers who are called EcoDivers...
Beyond Tokenism: Why “True Participation” is the Missing Link for Malaysia’s Reefs, Food Security, and Coastal Livelihoods
Imagine standing on the shoreline of one of Malaysia’s pristine islands and realising that an area the size of 47,250 football fields has simply vanished beneath the waves since 2022. This isn’t a scene from a dystopian movie; it is the calculated reality of what...
Beyond the Data: What We’ve Learned Through Policy Lens
For 17 years, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) has been synonymous with coral reef health survey data. We built our reputation on being the ones in the water—clipboards in hand, counting indicator fish, invertebrates and assessing substrate types. Before long, the Department...