Youth Empowerment in Semporna, Sabah

Join us in empowering local youths of the islands to take part in marine conservation work.

About Semporna

Semporna is well known for its beautiful diving destinations – every diver’s and snorkeller’s dream and paradise. Its beautiful and diverse underwater world, white sandy beaches, and turquoise waters make it a famous tourist attraction in Borneo.

Our approach in Semporna is recognising that sustainable conservation is intricately linked to the active participation and empowerment of local communities. We work together with communities from Larapan, Selakan, Mabul and Kulapuan islands.

RCM Team’s Work in Semporna

Rehabilitating Sabah’s Coral Reefs

We have established 12 restoration sites in Semporna and affixed more than 19,000 coral fragments to various artificial structures. To date, five methods of coral rehabilitation have been utilized, with two to five of these methods deployed at one to three sites on each island.

There are currently:

• 680 Reef Stars,
• 112 spider frames,
• 546 bottle glasses of Bottle Reefs,
• 3 Coral Culture Tables (CCTs), and
• 2 Coral Ropes nurseries,
  This means a total of approximately 1,343 restoration units, which equates to approximately 19,038 fragments transplanted.

We have also deployed coral fragments using various coral rehabilitation methods such as using the coral block, the MARSS method which includes using reef stars, and the Coral Culture Table in various locations such as Larapan, Mabul and Tun Sakaran Marine Park.

Marine Conservation Training For Local Youths

As part of our effort to ensure a sustainable marine conservation effort, we embarked on the work to train local youths of the islands to take part in marine conservation work.

In pursuant to the success of the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) and the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG), we replicated the same module to train and assist passionate youths of the various islands.

Five local marine conservation groups have been formed

To date, we have a total of 53 youths certified as Open Water divers and a selected few are certified as Advance Open Water and Rescue Diver.

These youths are also certified EcoDivers with Reef Check Malaysia and have been trained to carry out marine conservation works such as coral rehabilitation and maintenance programmes, reef health and bleaching monitoring, coral reefs’ threats removal as well as monitoring and assessment of other marine habitat such as seagrass.

The youths are now ready to carry out marine conservation work

These youths are also actively involved in community engagement within their own communities as well as conducting awareness programmes at schools and with the public through social media.

We now have 5 Community Marine Conservation Groups (CMCGs) assisting us with our work in Semporna and they are Larapan Marine Conservation Group (LMCG), Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG), Kulapuan Marine Conservation Group (KMCG), Kunak Darvel Marine Conservation Group (KDMCG) and lastly, we collaborate with the youths from Pemimpin Iklim Mabul.

Note  Some members of the Selakan Marine Conservation Group have been elected and trained as Honorary Park Rangers by Sabah Parks

Responding to Threats to Semporna’s Reefs

Coral Bleaching Monitoring

The Community Marine Conservation Groups (CMCGs) have been trained and supported to conduct coral bleaching surveys using an established monitoring protocol. These surveys document the extent and severity of coral bleaching and mortality at their respective monitoring sites.

To date, 11 permanent coral bleaching monitoring sites have been established across Larapan, Mabul, Kulapuan, and Tun Sakaran Marine Park (in Selakan and Bohey Dulang) with the involvement of Sabah Parks.

Data collected through these community-led surveys provide valuable information on changes in reef condition and contribute to the development of the Semporna Bleaching Response Plan, while strengthening local capacity to monitor and respond to future bleaching events.

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTs) removal

Working together with CMCGs, Sabah Parks, dive resorts and local dive operators, we respond to COTS outbreaks across Semporna. Sightings reported by dive operators and divers help us identify areas with increased COTS activity, while data and reports shared by the Department of Fisheries Sabah help guide where response efforts are needed.

Through these partnerships, over 16,000 Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) have been removed across Semporna, helping to reduce predation pressure on coral reefs and support healthier reef ecosystems.

Waste Management Programme

Our team established a waste management programme with the help of the communities on the island. The programme followed our successful waste management programme with Cintai Mantanani.

Locals that are involved in daily waste collection

The first waste management programme was established in Kampung Larapan.

Larapan Island is located in the district of Semporna in Sabah. It consists of 2 villages – Kampung Larapan Hujung dan Kampung Larapan Tengah, with a population of 1,242 and 140 households.

Bins were constructed around the village, community engagement, school awareness programmes and the awarding of ‘Excellent Certificates’ participating households were also done. During the programme, the Daily Waste Collection team collected 600kg of waste on average every month.

A visitor at the Selakan Plastic Recycling Lab

In Selakan island, a waste management programme has also been established, focusing on household-level waste segregation.

The waste management system moved away from the daily collection system to household members actively participating in the process by bringing thier segregated waste to the waste storage facility (Rumah Pengumpulan Sampah).

A Recycling Learning Lab was also built, focusing on recycling and repurposing plastic waste for a more sustainable future.

The implementation and on-the-ground coordination are led by our Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG), serving as a valuable training platform for them to manage community-based projects on their island.

Rumah Pengumpulan Sampah in Kampung Sri Aman

The waste management program expanded to Kampung Sri Aman, Semporna. This programme was done in partnership with Pejabat Daerah Semporna, Majlis Daerah Semporna, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS).

The community was supportive of the effort as it expanded from 50 hpilot household s to 100 households participating. Strong community ownership emerged through the formation of a Waste Management Committee (Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Sampah) and the structure of a waste storage facility (Rumah Pengumpulan Sampah).

Eco Pledge Program Semporna

The PUSPABUMI Eco-Pledge Programme in Semporna is a local initiative, launched in November 2025, led by local tourism operators under Persatuan Pengusaha Pelancongan Bumiputera Tempatan (PUSPABUMI), with support from Reef Check Malaysia. One of the key goals of this programme is to ensure that all tourism operators under PUSPABUMI manage their waste responsibly.

Rather than relying on enforcement, Puspabumi introduced a self-monitoring system requiring members to bring waste back to the mainland for proper disposal at Majlis Daerah Sempornal facilities, with progress tracked jointly by Puspabumi and RCM.

Organisers see it as a step toward making Semporna a model for sustainable marine tourism, calling for stronger policies and infrastructure to sustain the progress.

* From November 2025 to August 2026

Mabul Clean Water Initiative

The Mabul Clean Water Initiative is a community-based rainwater harvesting project on Mabul Island, Semporna, Sabah, aimed at improving household clean water security and strengthening community resilience to water-access challenges.

This initiative is implemented by RCM and Pemimpin Belia Iklim Mabul, sponsored by The Wash Foundation, and carried out in partnership with Green Semporna and the Jawatankuasa Kampung Mabul.

Based on findings from community consultations, households on Mabul rely entirely on purchased clean water for cooking and drinking, purchasing gallons daily due to limited household storage, thus placing a recurring financial burden on families.

Through this initiative, 100 individual rainwater harvesting tanks were provided to to selected households on Mabul Island. The project is also tracking the volume of rainwater collected each month to understand the volume of water captured and stored and how this initiative helps to reduce reliance on purchased clean water.

Communication, Educational and Public Awareness (CEPA)

We believe that meaningful marine conservation requires communities to have the knowledge, awareness and opportunities to participate in protecting their marine environment. 

Our CEPA programmes have reached more than 1,500 participants across Semporna through awareness talks, exhibitions and sharing sessions, engaging community members, youths, students, teachers and the wider public on topics including coral reef ecosystems, seagrass, coral restoration, sharks and rays, marine conservation, and recycling.

We have reached more than 1,500 participants across Semporna through our CEPA programmes.