This Incubator Programme Teaches Malaysian Fishermen To Farm Corals & Preserve Marine Life
Corals Malaysia Incubators 2019 is set on restoring our marine ecosystem.
By Laila Zain — 15 Aug 2019, 12:03 PM
Corals are essential to the marine ecosystem, and provide ocean habitats that enable marine life to thrive
However, it's no secret that coral reefs around the world are deteriorating for multiple reasons
Humans have the most significant negative impact on coral reefs, and are pretty much the main reason why these reefs are dying :(
Damaging activities include coral mining, pollution, overfishing, blast fishing, and canal digging to name a few.
Fortunately, the Corals Malaysia Incubator 2019 programme is fighting to preserve the marine ecosystem in Malaysia through coral propagation
This is the third edition of the incubator programme, which was organised by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), in collaboration with Terengganu State Government, Department of Fisheries, and Yayasan Coral Malaysia.
First launched in 2017, The Corals Malaysia Incubator programme has grown beyond just coral propagation and marine restoration
- The programme increases public awareness on the importance of corals and overall conservation.
- Fishing communities can benefit from higher income and improved standard of living .
- This initiative helps instill local entrepreneurship skills by teaching others how to be incubators as well as help to boost the aqua tourism industry.
Last year, three local fishermen were selected for hands-on training sessions to learn the proper techniques in coral farming, and two of them continue the efforts this year
With an aim to boost the local economy by providing knowledge and skills to benefit communities, the programme is looking for long-term solutions to restore our coastlines. And so far, the results have been pretty impressive!
To date, over 1,200 corals have been propagated by more than 300 volunteers from the divers’ communities
The programme is expanding this coral farming initiative with plans to create 10 more incubators by 2020, with TM providing the funds for 65 coral tables.
Each coral table comprises of 100 pieces of cultured Acropora. Once propagated, 10% of the corals will be returned to the marine ecosystem to ensure sustainable reproduction of these corals.
The first batch has been successfully transported to the 'TM Coral Tree' (a 2-layer designed base), located at Malaysia Underwater Gallery area in Pulau Bidong.
Interested in being part of the programme? You can adopt a coral, be a volunteer, or make a donation. Find out more here.
