KOTA KINABALU: A total of 22 youths from five Semporna island communities have completed a scuba diving certification course as part of a community-based initiative to strengthen marine conservation efforts.
The training was organised by Reef Check Malaysia in collaboration with Green Semporna, in an effort to empower local communities to actively protect their marine ecosystems.
Participants from the islands of Denawan, Kulapuan, Mabul, Selakan and Larapan underwent a three-day programme led by local instructors to learn basic scuba diving skills and safety procedures.
Reef Check Malaysia senior programme manager Adzmin Fatta said the training is a crucial step in preparing communities to be meaningfully involved in marine conservation work in Semporna.
"We prepare them for marine conservation activities such as coral reef monitoring and restoration, underwater clean-ups, ghost net removal, crown-of-thorns starfish removal, and others," he said in a statement on Monday (March 16).
"As part of our continuous empowerment work in Semporna, we have been developing community marine conservation groups (CMCGs) that enable island communities to care for and protect their marine environment," Adzmin said.
He noted that island communities want more opportunities to participate in conservation initiatives, particularly as marine threats continue to emerge in the region.
"Recently, we responded to several crown-of-thorns outbreaks and ghost net incidents.
"From January to March this year alone, we removed more than 600kg of ghost nets and over 4,000 starfish. This demonstrates that community-led conservation models like the CMCGs are effective," he added.
Adzmin hoped that more island communities will develop the skills, leadership and motivation to contribute to better marine resource governance in Semporna.
For participants, the training also marked a personal milestone.
Jamilah Maek from the Denawan Marine Conservation Group said that it was her first time learning to dive despite growing up on an island.
"I am grateful to have been selected for this conservation programme. I look forward to participating in citizen science and community-based conservation work in Denawan with my community," she said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Azrul Musli from Selakan said he had been waiting for the opportunity for two years.
"I have been actively contributing to non-diving activities with the Selakan Marine Conservation Group. With this training, I can now participate in coral restoration and other marine conservation activities around Selakan Island," he said.
