Ever since we began the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) to replicate the efforts and success of the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG), the members of RMCG have been carrying out activities on the island while also attending courses to gain new skills that will help them in their daily tasks. Knowledge sharing programme that RMCG participated in In the last quarter, they participated in the Pre-Hospital Care & Basic Life Support Service Readiness programme organised by the Terengganu State Health Department. The skills acquired by RMCG in this program can help their level of ..read more

A diver replanting corals on reusable glass bottles In the third quarter of this year, our team on Tioman received several conservation volunteers from various sponsors and organisations, among which were Ambank Group, Ministry of Higher Education, SC Johnson & Sons (M) Sdn Bhd, Etika Sdn Bhd, KOSE, MIX FM & MY FM, and Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia. Our colleague organised several activities, such as replanting of corals using reusable glass bottles. Approximately 700 corals were saved through this activity. Beach clean-up activities were conducted at Monkey Bay and Benut Bay, where 220k ..read more

In the past quarter, our team has successfully completed the Reef Check surveys around the Mersing Islands for 2023. A total of 36 sites were surveyed, with the help and support of the Johor’s Department of Fisheries (DoF), as well as the local island communities and organisations. Reef Check surveys in the Mersing Islands are complete Three representatives of the Pulau Besar community have recently been trained and certified as “EcoDivers”. During the training, they familiarised themselves with monitoring methods and indicators, including targeted fish species, invertebrates, and coral cover ..read more

Overcrowded islands are going to downgrade the tourist experience. First it was Tioman and the proposal for a new airport. Then there were rumblings about extending the airport at Redang…then we heard about two new resorts at Perhentian Island…and the latest – a proposal for a seaplane facility on Perhentian. What on earth is going on? In case I really need to say it again: RCM has never been against development. We understand that tourism is an important part of the economy. We understand that tourism is important for jobs, particularly local communities in remote areas. But this upsurge in ..read more

Local communities should be involved in decisions on the management of natural resources that may affect their livelihoods After a busy few months focusing on a proposed airport development on Tioman Island, it’s appropriate to return to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to look at some of the Targets that inform our work. Target 22 is particularly relevant. IPLCs role is increasingly recognised One of the most important developments coming out of the Kunming-Montreal treaty negotiations – and one which was demonstrably important in the Tioman campaign – was the growing acknow ..read more

The decision last week by the Malaysian government to shelve the proposed airport development on Tioman island is both welcome, and timely, for many reasons. Conserving Tioman’s natural resources The most immediate and important reason, of course, is that it paves the way for conserving Tioman Island in its current, largely pristine state. This in itself is a good thing considering the island’s abundant biodiversity resources which, as the world is now (belatedly?) realising, need to be protected. Tioman Island's beautiful coral reef. This endeavour would be challenging with a new airport bri ..read more

In May, PEDI Kg Tekek donated several computers to our team, five of which were handed over to Sekolah Kebangsaan Mukut. Meanwhile, Rimba had donated reading materials on bats to SK Mukut to help increase the students’ knowledge about this species. During this last quarter, our school education programmes have also been running as usual, with the students of SK Tekek and SK Juara, covering topics such as Biodiversity and Climate Change. Donation of computers to the school Students during one of the educational programmes From May 19 to 21, Yayasan Sime Darby ran a volunteer program with RCM ..read more

In April, our Mersing colleagues successfully documented coral spawning events in the Mersing islands. Coral spawning is a rare occurrence of only once or twice a year. whereby corals reproduce by releasing their eggs and sperm simultaneously into the water. Once fertilised, the larvae travel to different locations, attach to suitable substrates and then establish new coral colonies. We used the “bottle trap” method to trap some coral eggs from selected coral colonies at Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi. This unique observation of coral spawning provides us with an understanding of how coral reefs ..read more

Cintai Mantanani The waste management programme introduced a couple of years ago has developed very well, with amazing reception from the local community. In mid-May, all wastes weighing around 455.8 kg (except for food waste) were transported out to the mainland. We’ve also made 15 new wire mesh bins for trash collection, to replace the old bins that were damaged by storms. These new bins have been placed in safe spots around the village. Meanwhile, in mid-June, 36 bundles of compressed plastics weighing 407 kg, as well as metal cans weighing 110 kg, were sent to the mainland and collected by ..read more

The 6 local youths who are members of the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) were recently trained as Open-Water (OA) divers. This dive course was sponsored by RCM, as the team will be busy with many dive-related day-to-day tasks. We will slowly be equipping the team with necessary skills that will be beneficial for them and the work that they will be undertaking around their own island.  The team also conducted ghost nets removal around the island, collecting approximately 230kg of nets in a span of just over a month. This was done in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries ..read more