IOI Ocean Heroes x ICC

RCM joined Unique Sunday and IOI City Mall for the IOI Ocean Heroes campaign, bringing marine conservation awareness beyond the mall and into the community through beach cleanups and creative sustainability initiatives. The campaign featured an ESG Showcase Area, developed by INTI College students and IOI City Mall’s Visual Merchandising team. Using reused materials, students created sustainability-themed displays, including a whale-tail sculpture, showing how discarded materials can be transformed into creative works. 

Other than that, two cleanups at Pantai Kelanang, Banting brought together 123 volunteers on 24 September from MMU, UNITEN, IOI and Neuropower. On 27 September, another 230 volunteers from MPKL, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, The Body Shop, Sunway College and UNITEN/Unique Sunday took part, joined by RCM ambassador Sharifah Sofia. The cleanup was hosted by YAM Tengku Zatashah and MPKL.

The whale tail sculpture displayed in IOI Mall

National Forum on Marine Data Management

Reef Check Malaysia co-organised the 2-day National Forum 2026: Strengthening Marine Data Management and Conservation in Malaysia, held in July at The Everly Putrajaya, together with the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia and the Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences.

The forum brought together government agencies, researchers, universities, civil society organisations and marine conservation practitioners to strengthen collaboration on marine conservation and ocean governance. Discussions focused on improving marine data sharing and coordination, addressing fragmented datasets, and supporting the effective management and expansion of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Participants also discussed priorities under the MyMPA Blueprint and Malaysia’s 30×30 conservation commitment, agreeing on key actions to strengthen marine data management and collaboration across institutions.

Advancing Reef Monitoring Across SEA

In August, we took part in the Marine Resources Initiative: Advancing Coral Reef Monitoring and Management in Southeast Asia Regional Workshop 2026, organised by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Kuala Lumpur. The workshop brought together 32 participants from 29 organisations across Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam and regional bodies.

A session during the workshop

Participants worked to shape a four-year regional workplan for coral reef monitoring, reporting and management, with discussions covering monitoring standards, data governance, training, ReefCloud innovation and science-to-policy links. The workshop also strengthened collaboration between countries and emphasised national ownership and long-term capacity building. It concluded with strong support for the regional workplan, including plans for national focal points and coordinating groups to guide implementation and strengthen coral reef monitoring and conservation across Southeast Asia.

Nazirul (third from right) represented RCM at the workshop