Interactive Map Brings Insight into Malaysia’s Coral Reef Health
Putrajaya, 14 December 2022: A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Fisheries (DOF), representing the Government of Malaysia and Reef Check Malaysia was signed by YBhg. Datuk Haji Mohd Sufian bin Sulaiman, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries and Julian Hyde, General Manager of Reef Check Malaysia at the Department of Fisheries’ headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday. The MOU was signed to reach an understanding on the future collaborations for the conservation and restoration of the marine ecosystem.
The strategic partnership between DOF and Reef Check Malaysia has been ongoing for several years and has been carried out through multiple programme collaborations, in particular in marine parks.
The MOU is important to enable Reef Check Malaysia to continue its work to support the conservation of marine ecosystems in Malaysia. Hyde commented that: “We are grateful to the Department of Fisheries for their continuing support of our work, and we look forward to working closely with them in the future.”
The MOU focuses on 2 key points i.e.:
i) The implementation of the health of coral reefs survey and the research on restoring the biodiversity, climate change, ecological and socioeconomic resilience and contribute to the increased understanding of the importance of the marine ecosystem management; and
ii) The implementation of educational and awareness programme for local communities and local stakeholders, particularly in Marine Parks to encourage local stakeholders to get involved in the management, monitoring and preservation of marine ecosystems and to plant a sense of ownership within the community in an effort towards implementing co-management
“I hope that this approach can encourage the participation and cooperation of various parties in order to increase the effectiveness of the Government’s service execution and achieve a win-win situation for all involved.” shared YBhg. Datuk Haji Mohd Sufian bin Sulaiman.
The signing of the MOU signifies a monumental step forward for Malaysia’s marine environment. It is hoped that the partnership will benefit all stakeholders involved and ensure a sustainable marine ecosystem. For more information on Reef Check Malaysia, visit their website at www.reefcheck.org.my or email them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 OCTOBER 2024 – 8,569 volunteers from all around Malaysia collected 41,015kg of trash during the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) event in September 2024.
Among 388,730 items collected, the most common item found was plastic bottles at 50,785 bottles. The second and third most common items were cigarette butts at 39,584 pieces and plastic/foam pieces at 38,801 pieces.
Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) coordinates the nationwide ICC in Malaysia every year since 2018. Organizations, groups and individuals collect data during the cleanup and key in data into the Clean Swell app to contribute to the global database of cleanups by Ocean Conservancy.
Tengku Zatashah, Princess Beach Cleanup in action
Y.A.M Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the princess of Selangor, who is also fondly known as ‘Princess Beach Cleanup’, also participated in this year’s ICC. “The International Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.
Proud volunteers of Hapag-Lloyd Business Services Malaysia that cleaned up Pantai Batu 23
This year’s ICC was supported by Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia and KPMG Malaysia. Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia’s volunteers cleaned Pantai Batu 23 for ICC and collected 54.75 kg of trash. KPMG Malaysia chose to clean Pantai Remis, Kuala Selangor and collected 126.61kg of trash.
Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.
KPMG volunteers cleared 126.61kg of trash from Pantai Remis
Reef Check Malaysia also held their Kod Blue: Laut Needs You event as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Volunteers for Kod Blue 2024 which happened on 7 September at Kampung Air Batang, Tioman Island, collected 757.7kg of trash from the beach cleanup and 50.8kg of trash from the underwater cleanup. The underwater cleanup team also removed 62 coral predators, the Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COT).
All Kod Blue 2024 volunteers before the cleanups
“The objective of the event is to spread awareness about the issue of marine debris while bringing together the general public and the local community of Tioman Island,” said Theresa Ng, Chief Operating Officer of Reef Check Malaysia. “Kod Blue is an homage to the term used to mean ’emergency’ in the medical field, and ‘blue’ is also a nod to the ocean.”
The second event in the series featured a conservation talk by Reef Check Malaysia’s Chief Programmes Officer, Alvin Chelliah, a special ‘Action Camera Underwater Videography’ workshop by Reef Check Malaysia’s ambassador, Baki Zainal, a beach and underwater cleanup, a ‘Pasar Malam Mesra Alam’ offering local delicacies from the Tioman Island community, a glass crusher and coral block workshop, and a movie night.
Volunteers segregated trash according to types
The event was supported by sponsors including Migalabs, Diamond & Platinum, REEF, Bose, Sol Sauce Sunscreen, Akkord Scents, Nautika Scuba Centre, B&J Diving Centre, Small Towns Malaysia, Ryan’s Special Needs Care Centre, Garmin Malaysia, Cowa, MobyTek, and Nazri’s Place.
“We are grateful for our sponsors for their generous sponsorship and support for Kod Blue 2024.” commented Theresa.
“We also would like to thank our ambassadors, Sharifah Sofia and Baki Zainal, all of our volunteers including representatives from Tioman Development Authority, Department of Fisheries (DOF), Alam Flora, SWCORP ROMPIN, PERHILITAN Department, Tioman Police, SMK Tekek (Nature Lovers Club), and Malaysia Civil Defence Force for participating in our cleanup effort.” added Theresa.
A TMCG member who supported our cleanup weighed all trash collected
Every year, millions of tons of trash—including an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic waste—flows into the ocean, impacting more than 800 marine species and even entering the food chain.
“When I first heard about Kod Blue 2024, I was excited, and I think it is a good chance to be part of conservation work with experts in the field. It was not easy to make time for this event, but I am very happy I did. I get to meet like-minded people, and I enjoy every second of the activities. I have a lot of takeaways from this event” commented Yvonne Jong, one of the underwater participants of Kod Blue 2024.
