Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) in collaboration with Terengganu State Government, Department of Fisheries (DoF) and Yayasan Coral Malaysia (YCM) today embarked on the 3rd edition of its Corals Malaysia Incubator 2019 programme under the Company's Corporate Responsibility initiative.

This programme is aimed at increasing public awareness on environment preservation and the importance of marine ecosystem for the sustainability of Mother Nature through coral propagation.

The Corals Malaysia Incubator programme was launched by Izlyn Ramli, Vice President, Group Brand and Communication, TM, together with Jamhariah Jaafar, President, Yayasan Coral Malaysia (YCM).

Commenting on the programme, Izlyn said, "As a mindful corporate organisation, TM is always grateful for the opportunities to play an active role in nation building beyond just our products and services; and particularly in education, empowering communities and in preserving the environment. In this respect, we are acutely aware that every element on this wonderful planet is interconnected and interdependent; and that we all need to play a more active role in ensuring the sustainability of our natural ecosystem. This Corals Malaysia Incubator programme, now in its third edition, is yet another meaningful collaboration between TM and YCM in our shared quest for conservation initiatives."

"Corals are essential to the marine ecosystem, and its continuous propagation will provide more ocean habitats and enable marine life to thrive. It is our hope that this programme will not only increase public awareness on the importance of corals and marine conservation, but that the fishermen community here can also benefit from a higher income and ultimately, an improved standard of living. This initiative will also help instill local entrepreneurship skills by grooming them to be incubators as well as help to boost the aqua tourism industry in Malaysia," she added.

The Corals Malaysia Incubator programme series was initiated in 2017 as a collaboration between TM and YCM where awareness on coral propagation was introduced as part of its marine ecosystem education. Already in its 3^rd year, the programme has grown beyond just coral propagation for marine restoration, but also to explore new wealth generation alternatives for the local fishermen community. With increased public awareness towards the importance of corals and its ecosystem, this initiative is already yielding impressive results.

Since the programme's inception, over 1,200 corals have been propagated by more than 300 volunteers from the divers' communities. In 2018, three (3) local fishermen were chosen as pioneers where two (2) of them succeeded to be in the next phase. This year, another three (3) local fishermen have been selected and they were exposed to coral propagation via hands on training sessions by YCM; Malaysia's first coral farm endorsed by Department of Fisheries (DoF) Malaysia for Peninsular. They were trained with the proper technique in coral farming while preserving the marine environment.

2019 sees the expansion of this coral farming initiative, where a total of 10 incubators will be planned for this sustainable marine venture. A total of 65 coral tables have been invested by TM for incubators and coral adoption programme. In compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) where each table should comprise 100 pieces of cultured Acropora, 10% of the corals will be returned to the marine ecosystem to ensure sustainable reproduction of these corals in Pulau Bidong. TM and YCM have returned the first batch of the 10% to a 'coral tree' (a 2-layer designed base) which is located at Malaysia Underwater Gallery area in Pulau Bidong. The rest will be monitored by DoF, as per the quota approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva, in order for them to comply with the process of commercialisation.

"We see the potential of the programme as an enabler to boost the local economy by providing adequate knowledge and skills to benefit the communities; especially the local fishermen. This initiative also conforms to one of the United Nation Sustainability Development Goals (UNSDG) by looking into life below the water. We are indeed very excited about this programme and hope to get more support from relevant parties for its continued success," Izlyn ended.

TM and YCM are also exploring with other government agencies on the possibility of expanding this coral propagation project to other spots along the Malaysian marine coastline; both for conservation and also to provide an additional source of income for local coral advocates.

For more information on the Company's other CR programmes, visit www.tm.com.my