Perhentian Reefs Play Vital Role In Sustaining Malaysia's Marine Ecosystems
On the sun-soaked Perhentian Islands in Terengganu, where turquoise waters stretch towards the horizon, lies one of Malaysia’s fragile yet vibrant marine ecosystems.
Beneath the waves, reefs provide nurseries for fish, feeding grounds for marine creatures and natural shields that buffer the islands against the force of the sea.
Yet these treasures face mounting threats: warming waters, plastic pollution, overfishing, coral bleaching and the unrelenting pressures of mass tourism that generate income yet pose significant risks.
For Hidayah Halid, 33, station manager of the Perhentian Marine Research Station (PMRS), the islands are more than a postcard-perfect destination as they play a unique role in sustaining Malaysia’s marine ecosystems.
Established in 2017 by conservation-based social enterprise Fuze Ecoteer Outdoor Adventures, PMRS was created to better understand marine ecosystems and strengthen resource management in the Perhentian Islands, located off the coast of Besut district in the South China Sea.
The station has since focused on monitoring the health of the islands’ reefs, combining scientific research with a bio-cultural conservation approach that sustains the interdependence of people and nature.
Over the years, it has mapped marine habitats across the Perhentian Islands Marine Park – which covers Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pulau Susu Dara, along with several uninhabited islands – to assess coral health, while engaging local stakeholders towards more sustainable practices.
“The Perhentian Islands are actually at the furthest end of the islands we have along the east coast. When corals spawn here, the larvae don’t just stay put. They drift with the currents for up to three weeks and they can end up in other reefs further south or north.
“So Perhentian can be a supplier, helping to sustain other reefs, or it can also be a receiver, depending on how the current moves. That is why it’s (reefs) important, it supports the continuity of reefs along the coast,” Hidayah told Bernama in a recent interview.
(This writer volunteered with PMRS between Sept 8 and 14, 2025.)
“You need to see it as a region, a network. Perhentian keeps that continuity alive,” she added.
GUARDIANS OF THE REEFS
From a modest base on Pulau Perhentian Kecil, tucked between village life and the hum of tourist resorts, PMRS has quietly taken up the role of guardian of the reefs. Interestingly, for the 2025 season, the station is being managed entirely by women. During Bernama’s stint at PMRS, the team comprised two staff members and four interns, who dive daily to monitor coral health, conduct seagrass surveys and record shifts in marine biodiversity.
On land, they run awareness programmes for schoolchildren, engage fishermen on sustainable practices and teach travellers how to enjoy the islands responsibly.
The strong female presence in Perhentian’s conservation scene is no coincidence, at least for Hidayah.
“The work here is demanding and draining, and it often means managing everything at once, from project planning to finances, operations, research and intern welfare. Women tend to be meticulous and able to multitask, and employers see that as a strength,” she said.
She said other conservation projects in Pulau Tioman (in Pahang) or Pulau Redang (Terengganu) are more male-dominated, but added that Fuze Ecoteer and PMRS have always been run largely by women.
A cornerstone of their mission is AnakPulau, an initiative created in 2021 for and by the local youth of Perhentian Islands. Currently, some 30 young islanders, who once spent their childhood swimming among corals and chasing fish, have pledged to protect the very ecosystems they grew up with.
Under the AnakPulau initiative, PMRS equips youngsters with conservation skills and professional diving qualifications, empowering them to take purposeful action.
“One day, even if PMRS is no longer here, AnakPulau should be able to run on their own. That is the goal, a truly community-led conservation effort,” Hidayah added.
OVERTOURISM
Meanwhile, Eden Chin, 23, a PMRS intern from the United Kingdom who studied marine biology at Plymouth University, said the Perhentian Islands are among the places where she witnessed how damaging unchecked tourism can be to marine ecosystems.
“Tourists stepping on corals, touching and chasing marine life... many don’t even realise it is harmful. Sometimes it is (due to) ignorance, but often it’s simply a lack of awareness,” she said.
Chin said much of the damage happens in shallow, easily accessible areas, where inexperienced snorkellers and divers are concentrated.
Boats dropping anchors on coral beds compound the problem, breaking fragile structures that have taken decades to grow.
“People come for the beauty of the reefs but end up loving them to death,” she added.
For Chin, the problem is not just physical damage but also the lack of structured guidance for visitors.
“Simple measures like proper briefings before snorkelling trips, or signage on what not to touch, could make a difference. Many people are not malicious, they just don’t know. But if they had clearer instructions, their behaviour in the water could change,” she said.
While rules are important, Chin said they must be paired with awareness campaigns that start early.
“If parents understand why corals matter, they can pass that to their children. Then the next generation of travellers won’t see reefs as playgrounds, but as ecosystems to be respected.”
Another PMRS intern Jessica Farrell, 24, who is from Spain, said her experience in the Perhentian Islands has been both inspiring and sobering.
“So here there is a lot of marine life and you see a lot every time you dive. The reefs are full of colour, they are so vibrant,” said Farrell, who has a degree in biology and is a certified divemaster.
She contrasted this with her earlier dives back home.
“I have mostly only dived in Spain, where the waters are much colder and you do not see the same richness and variety of life,” she said.
Reflecting on her time in Perhentian, Farrell said it also changed her relationship with the sea.
“I have always loved the ocean. But the more time you spend in the ocean, the more you realise that we are never going to know everything about it. And there is just an infinite amount to know," she added.
VOICES OF A NEW GENERATION
Wong Yee Shuen, 23, a Universiti Malaya student in ecology and biodiversity who recently joined PMRS as a social media intern, observed that while recycling initiatives exist on the island, they risk creating a false sense of security.
“People think it’s okay to use plastic because it can be recycled, but in reality, most plastics can’t be recycled. Recycling itself requires energy and creates pollutants. On an island with limited capacity to manage waste, what matters more is reducing it at the source,” she said.
For Wong, the challenge is not just about marine protection but about aligning daily lifestyles with conservation goals.
She pointed to the widespread use of single-use items, particularly in tourist areas, which she described as unsustainable consumer behaviour.
“You already have plates and utensils, why add another layer of disposable packaging just to save effort? In the long run, it only adds to the waste burden,” she added.
She also stressed that education plays a critical role in shifting mindsets, though it must be done with sensitivity.
“Who are we to tell people that what they have been doing for 20 years is unsustainable? It is not easy to change habits overnight. But vendors could start by offering reusable alternatives, and tourists need to be part of that change too,” she said.
Looking ahead, Wong sees both challenges and opportunities for organisations like PMRS.
“In an ideal world, conservation NGOs wouldn’t need to exist because the environment could sustain itself. But the reality is, the problems are here, and that creates opportunities for PMRS to help communities adapt to climate change,” she added.
SMALL STEPS, LASTING IMPACT
Though their footprint is small, PMRS’s impact runs deep, not only in the data they collect and species they monitor, but in the behaviours they shift.
Every year, between March and October (before the start of the northeast monsoon in November), the station runs a structured volunteering programme to support its conservation strategies. Over the 2024 season, 14 volunteers spent a combined 30 weeks on the island, conducting 115 dives to monitor reefs and remove debris. They also organised 24 beach clean-ups that cleared more than 1,180 kilogrammes of trash, along with 20 underwater clean-ups that lifted nearly 120 kg of waste from the seafloor.
Beyond the numbers, change can be seen in the community itself. Local boatmen now report dead turtles to the station. Fishermen who once caught giant clams explain to others that clams filter dirty water and should not be eaten. Children who once fed fish with bread now tell tourists not to do it.
For Hidayah, success comes in small milestones.
"It is when the community calls us, when dive shops report something unusual (in the sea), when young people feel they belong to the conservation effort… that is when I know we are making progress,” she said.
For the people of Perhentian, conservation is not just science. It is memory, continuity and survival.
As long as the reefs endure and schools of parrotfish sweep across the corals, the stories of those who fought to protect them will endure, too.
