Protect Coral Reefs in Malaysia

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us were forced to remain indoors. For those who relied on day-to-day income, they were badly affected and were unable to afford basic necessities.

At one of our project sites, there are a total of 180 families on Mantanani Island, Sabah who are struggling to sustain themselves, as they depend heavily on tourism for income. They would generate income from small scale fishing, working in resorts, water sports or making handicrafts. With no tourists at all, many have been jobless since February.

We have been fundraising for emergency food relief for 1000 islanders. There have been 2 mass food distributions - one on 7 May and another on 3 June.

Each household received the following items:

• Rice
• Eggs
• Noodles
• Sugar
• Vegetables
• Cooking Oil
• Coffee/ Tea
• Soy sauce

A few weeks ago, we noticed a sharp increase in the population of a coral predator, Crown-of-Thorns (COT) around Tioman Island. COT feeds on corals and in the right numbers, they play an important role in keeping the ecosystem equilibrium. However, in large numbers, they are detrimental to the coral reef ecosystem. 

With logistical (boats and tanks) and manpower support from Tioman Dive Centre, Moby-Tek Dive Company, and Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG), we managed to elimate 80 COTs from Renggis and Pirate Reef sites. We injected the COTs with a vinegar solution that will kill them. COTs thrive when the water quality is poor.