Equipping Our CMCG With New Skills

On 20–21 July, RCM conducted a two-day training for the CMCG covering coral bleaching monitoring, ghost nets and coral planting. The training combined a classroom session with hands-on coral bleaching monitoring in the field.

As part of the training, two permanent monitoring sites were also established and marked at Police Gate and Sahara, providing CMCG with dedicated sites for ongoing coral reef monitoring.

Coral bleaching training in progress

Taking Waste Management Forward

In August, four RCM staff met with Tn. Stanley Chong, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Sabah’s Ministry of Local Government and Housing (KKTP) to share progress on our community-based waste management programmes.

After eight years of implementation, Mantanani’s waste management programme is now ready to transition to KKTP for longer-term management and funding support. Tn. Stanley welcomed the initiative and highlighted opportunities for future support from resorts and corporate partners. We also shared progress in adapting the model for Selakan, Larapan and Kg. Sri Aman, demonstrating how lessons from Mantanani can support waste management efforts in other communities.

As a next step, RCM will submit Mantanani’s operational costs, workflows and activities to support planning for the transition.

Monitoring Reef Health Across Sabah

RCM continued our annual Reef Check surveys conducted with partners. In July, RCM and Sabah Parks completed the annual survey at Taman Pulau Tiga, where minor signs of coral bleaching were observed.

In September, RCM, KDMCG and Sabah Parks (Semporna and Lahad Datu), with support from a volunteer from Peninsular Malaysia, conducted Reef Check surveys in Lahad Datu. Several sites showed significant Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COT) damage, particularly Tabawan, Blue Ring and Small Reef. Around 418 COTs were injected across three dive sites, with many more observed in deeper reef areas, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and removal efforts.

COT injected during the Lahad Datu surveys

ICC Brings Mantanani Islanders Together

On 17 September, the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) was carried out at Pulau Mantanani with participation from the JPKK, local community members and Tahap 2 students from SK Pulau Mantanani.

Together, participants collected more than 680 kg of marine debris, including 6,759 plastic bottles. Many of the bottles were old and yellowish, suggesting they had spent considerable time in the sea or along the shoreline, with large quantities appearing to have been washed ashore by the tides. The cleanup highlights the importance of continued community action in keeping Mantanani’s shores clean and addressing marine debris brought in from the sea.

Local community picking up plastic bottles