Hands-On Marine and Ecosystem Education for South of Johor’s Youth

This quarter, we conducted several indoor and outdoor education and awareness programmes for the two schools we work with. We engaged with almost 70 students from SK Kampung Baru Pasir Gogok in several indoor sessions, covering topics such as an introduction to the marine ecosystem in South of Johor, an in depth exploration of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass as well as the importance of marine sanctuaries. Towards the end of these sessions, 39 of these students had the opportunity to attend a school trip to the Sarang Buaya Pasir Gudang, a marine sanctuary.

We also had an indoor awareness session for more than 100 Form Four students of SMK Pengerang Utama, and 40 of them were selected for a visit to the Sarang Buaya Pasir Gudang. They had the opportunity to watch an interactive reptile show, explore and observe the mangrove habitat as well as learn about their ecological importance. All these activities aimed to introduce the various ecosystems found in Johor as well as cultivate a better appreciation of their significance through visits to these ecosystems. We would like to thank PITSB (Pengerang Integrated Terminals Sdn. Bhd) for their participation and support in making these activities a success.

Seagrass monitoring to pave the way for conservation

The second quarterly seagrass monitoring at Tanjung Kopok involved nine volunteers from DIALOG. This monitoring activity is part of an ongoing initiative to observe changes in seagrass cover near the Johor River as a component of a long-term seagrass conservation program in southern Johor.

After completing the monitoring activity, volunteers were taken on an educational boat tour to explore the uniqueness of the mangrove forest found along the Johor river and its significance to the local marine habitat and community livelihood.

Engaging Communities to Protect Johor’s Seagrass and Mangroves

Our team in Johor has also expanded community consultations with representatives from Kampung Tanjung Langsat, a neighbouring village adjacent to Kampung Perigi Acheh. The aim is to introduce Reef Check Malaysia’s ongoing marine conservation program in the area and discuss potential environmental initiatives that can be conducted collaboratively to enhance local community awareness of the seagrass and mangrove ecosystems along the Johor River. We seek further collaboration, particularly in community and school activities.