TIOMAN ISLAND, 4 AUGUST 2023 – A team from AmBank supported a marine conservation NGO, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM), in their work to rehabilitate coral reefs on Tioman Island.

The group of nine AmBank employees managed to plant 200 corals of opportunity – which are corals that have been broken by physical impact.

RCM is a non-governmental organization established in 2007 committed to a healthy ocean and bringing all stakeholders together to manage coral reefs sustainably. RCM’s field office on Tioman Island is managed by the Cintai Tioman team. Cintai Tioman is a long-term community-based programme which is a first in Malaysia. The goal of the project is to protect the coral reefs around Tioman and to improve the livelihoods of the local community. The end goal is to ensure the sustainable use of the island’s natural resources for the benefit of all stakeholders. 

Commenting on the conservation efforts, Head of Group Corporate Communications and Marketing, AmBank Group, Shazman Shahid said : “The programme is one of the sustainability activities by AmBank to inspire and raise awareness amongst AmBankers while also mobilising support for meaningful action towards sustainable development and practices.  AmBank hopes that this effort will help to further conserve marine biodiversity through sustainable, community-based coral reef rehabilitation”  

AmBank’s commitment to its Sustainability Journey in making the planet a better place for the next generation inspired them to collaborate with RCM in its coral rehabilitation efforts, paving way for more future potential collaborations in the marine conservation space.

“Coral reef rehabilitation takes a lot of time, effort and cost. It is great to have corporations such as AmBank  supporting our work to ensure that we can keep protecting the reefs in Tioman Island,” shared Alvin Chelliah, Chief Programme Officer of Reef Check Malaysia.

The AmBank  team also managed to deploy 36 coral pots at RCM’s reef rehabilitation site in Kampung Tekek, recycled glass bottles, and built coral blocks during their time in Tioman.

 The corals deployed will be monitored regularly to assess survival and growth rates. The team will observe for any coral diseases or predation and ensure tagging is intact near to selected replicate.

After a few months from deployment, the team will also look for coral recruitment to observe and record the marine life inhabiting the site over time.

For more information on Reef Check Malaysia, you may visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram or contact them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.    

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