Education and Awareness with Local School

Our education and awareness programmes continue to grow in reach and impact. A total of 80 students and teachers from SK Pulau Redang joined a session on coral reef biology, learning about the importance of protecting marine ecosystems. In another activity, 28 students and 3 teachers took part in a mangrove tour around Redang Island — an annual initiative to raise awareness among children about the value of mangroves. We also held a two-day, one-night Coral Reef Camp for 30 students at the Redang Marine Park Centre, featuring creative marine-themed art activities and snorkelling sessions to help them experience the beauty of coral reefs firsthand.

RCM’s Asma (front) leading the mangrove tour

Reef Rehabilitation Partnerships

Our RCM Redang team continues to strengthen partnerships and expand reef rehabilitation activities:

• July: Two RMCG members joined our team to assist Ombak Dive Resort in launching their reef rehabilitation programme.

• Representatives from Yayasan Hijau and ARAMCO visited Redang to deploy new reef structures as part of their support for coral restoration.

• Our team also hosted Yayasan Hasanah representatives for a site visit to their funded reef rehabilitation project in Tanjung Ara, followed by a networking dinner with RMCG members to discuss future plans.

• September: 50 staff from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) joined a 2-day, 1-night reef rehabilitation activity, contributing directly to coral restoration efforts.

A tagged coral in a reef rehabilitation site

Stakeholder Training and Meeting

In August, our Cintai Redang team conducted a training session on Lang Tengah Island with Pulihara.MY staff on ghost net recovery and Manta Tow surveys. Later that month, our team joined other RCM staff in Kuala Lumpur for a Gender Equality Training by SERATA, funded by the Canadian Government, highlighting the importance of gender inclusion in conservation work. In September, we held our first Eco-Friendly Snorkel Guide Training (EFSG) in Redang, certifying eight local operators.

Our colleagues Asma and Muhaimin (Cintai Redang) also met with the Director of MOTAC Terengganu to introduce RCM’s work on the island and discuss local community concerns about tourism challenges in Redang.

Asma (sitting, centre) with the newly certified ESFG operators