Tioman Reef Rehabilitation Launch 26 November 201114 December 2011, 11:43 am
For the past six months, Reef Check Malaysia has been working with UKM scientist Kee Alfian and the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia on a coral rehabilitation project in Pulau Tioman.
On the 26th of November 2011, a launch event was held in Pulau Tioman for the project. The launch is a communication and education exercise to increase awareness whilst also garnering support for the project from the locals. The Secretary General of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Datuk Zoal Azha Yusof, was present to launch the event. In conjunction with the launch, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between DMPM, NRE and Reef Check Malaysia.
During the launch ceremony organised by the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia, Reef Check Malaysia took the opportunity to set up an “information hub” to introduce the project to visitors and the local community and to educate the public on the value of coral reefs and the need to protect them. Banners with information on coral reefs and the project were displayed along with a short video clip on the process of the project was screened.
The coral rehabilitation method that we have embarked on involves collecting coral fragments from donor sites and planting them in a nursery to allow them to stabilize and grow before finally transplanting them to a permanent site. The key is to actively maintain the nurseries while the coral transplants are stabilising, keeping them free from silt and algae, reducing mortality rate resulting in more effective rehabilitation.
For the past months, East Divers Tioman and B&J Dive Centre have been helping to maintain the nurseries on a voluntary basis. The methodology is designed so that it is easy for dive operators and community members to take part.
The positive results that have been gathered over the past months are very encouraging and more coral nursery frames have been added. After the monsoon season ends, these nurseries will be populated.
There is still much to do on Pulau Tioman in order to effectively preserve the coral reef ecosystems off the Island. The interest expressed by the NRE of Malaysia truly represents the importance of doing so. RCM, together with the DMPM, will continue to work with stakeholders and the local community towards achieving this goal.
Click here to view more pictures of the launchSource: Reef Check Malaysia
