Protect Coral Reefs in Malaysia

In early March, the residents of Kampung Larapan Hujung in Semporna, Sabah, once again displayed remarkable community spirit by coming together for a clean-up operation on their island. A crowd of 120 strong, comprising of 70 adults and 50 children came together to clean various locations, targeting areas such as the areas around their houses, the community hall and beneath stilt houses.

In collaboration with Reef Check Malaysia (RCM), this initiative resulted in the collection of nearly 300 garbage bags, which amounted to approximately 3,000kg of trash! This clean-up is a vital step taken by the villagers in the effort to combat the waste management crisis on the island. Two previous clean-up intiatives recorded a collection of 1,800kg of trash in May 2022 and more than 700kg of trash in September 2023. 

The diverse types of trash collected, comprising of plastic bottles to electrical appliances, and even clothing and diapers, highlights the pressing environmental challenge faced by Larapan Island. 

Adzmin Fatta, RCM's Programme Manager, said that in addition to the clean-up efforts, the community on the island works closely with RCM for waste management initiatives, including daily waste collection and segregation by the islanders themselves. "Approximately 105 households are involved, with the daily collection led by the local waste management team. On average, 661kg of waste is collected every month, preventing it from polluting the seas of Larapan." He adds that these efforts are crucial for Larapan Island, which boasts a live coral cover of 56.38%, falling into the the category of being in "good" condition. It ranks as the second highest live coral cover in Semporna, just after Sipadan Island, which is well known for its rich and diverse reef ecosystem. 

The partnership between RCM and the Larapan community also focuses on building marine conservation leaders through the Larapan Marine Conservation Group. "In addition to training and certifying them as SCUBA divers, we also provide training for the local youth in the area of coral restoration and conservation activities," adds Adzmin. The islander recently made local headlines for their reef conservation efforts, deploying more than 10 spider frames and 400 bottle reefs, amounting to over 1000 coral nubbins being transplanted. The success of this effort signifies the willingness of the islanders to be engaged in managing their own island and its marine resources. 

Meanwhile, the village head of Kampung Larapan Hujung, Ramlan Hayawan shared how the villagers were excited to be a part of the clean-up programme. "We're immensly proud of the collabprative effort displayed by the residents, who worked together with RCM, while being supported by many others, including the Semporna District Office and Council." He added that the clean-up intiative not only demonstrated the commitment of the villagers to preserve the beauty of the island, which aligns with the vision of a cleaner Semporna by the District Office. It also fosters a stronger sense of community and environmental responsibility, particularly among the younger generation. 

"We hope that through this initiative, the younger ones are exposed to marine pollution issues and will grow up understanding that trash, especially plastic waste has detrimental effects to the sea," said Rinta Parintamin, a local villager. 

What was witnessed in Kampung Larapan Hujung not only addresses the immediate issue of waste accumulation but also sets a precedent for sustainable tourism practices and community-led conservation efforts in many other islands across Malaysia. 

Links:

• Villagers clean up 3,000kg of waste from Semporna
• Semporna's Kampung Larapan Hujung Unites for Massive Clean-Up

In October 2023, participants from the local community in Selakan Island and Mabul Island in East Malaysia successfully completed their training course on the MARS Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS), delivered by MARRS trainers from Indonesia. Upon completion, the participants in Selakan had deployed 290 reef star structures affixed with coral fragments in the waters around their islands, and conducted maintenance work to ensure the fragments grow well.

Sometime last week, 60 community members from Selakan, members of the Selakan Marine Conservation Group, Sabah Parks and RCM staff came together to build and deploy 215 more reef stars with 3,225 coral fragments affixed to them. This brings the total to 7,575 coral fragments deployed for reef restoration efforts in Selakan Island. The programme is funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS), as part of the community-based coral restoration and conservation project. We also had the support of the Sabah Tourism Board, the Park Manager of Tun Sakaran Marine Park and the Selakan Village Head. We’re glad to be able to bring various stakeholders to  work and support each other in conservation efforts.

Around the same time, in Mabul Island, members of “Pemimpin Belia Iklim Mabul” – a youth empowerment and climate change activist NGO were hard at work, preparing 100 reef stars for deployment as part of their coral restoration effort. This included work to coat the stars with rust converter, resin, and sand to prevent rusting and to mimic underwater substrate which is best for coral attachment. Each reef star, affixed with 15 coral fragments, will be joined together in a process called ‘web building’.

Nur Aina Ghalib, a member of Pemimpin Belia Iklim Mabul who is certified in the MARRS Reef Star method shared her thoughts with us. “We were tasked with the entire process, from planning to deployment of these reef stars. It was an amazing experience for me and all involved. Reef Check Malaysia guided us through this effort, which helped us feel empowered and equipped to become conservation leaders on our island,” she said. Another group member who was a part of the project, Razlan Razak, thanked their local partners, Seahorse Sipadan Scuba and Green Semporna, as well as the IKI (International Climate Initiative) Small Grants Programme for supporting the project. IKI Small Grants is a programme funded by the German government to battle climate change. Razlan said, “My knowledge and skills have improved significantly since I became involved with this coral restoration project”.

According to Adzmin Fatta, RCM’s Programme Manager, the reefs in Mabul remain in poor condition despite it being a famous destination for snorkelling. The reefs here face global as well as local impacts, such as trash, anchor damage and nutrient discharge. “We are consistently monitoring the marine environment in Mabul, while building marine conservation leaders among the islanders, through our community-based coral restoration projects. We hope to be able to equip the community with awareness and actively engage them to steer positive changes on their island,” he said. He explained that the villagers have taken the lead to conduct an island-wide cleanup, removing almost 10,000kg of waste! “Just imagine what more can be done by the local community if the proper resources are made available to them,” added Adzmin.

The local communities we’ve been working with have shown tremendous interest in bringing a positive change to their island’s marine environment. Their passion and determination through active participation has also driven our motivation to continue working alongside them. Your unwavering support and contributions mean a lot to the locals and to us at RCM, and has enabled us to carry out these conservation activities, making a difference in the lives of the islanders.

Links:

• Young people take charge to restore coral reefs at Mabul Island
• Youth lead Mabul Island's coral reef restoration