UMT Receives RM460,000 In Funding To Conserve Coral Reefs

KUALA NERUS, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), through the Faculty of Marine Science and Environment (FSSM), has received approximately RM460,000 in funding from the international body, Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), for a project to directly restore coral reefs in the ocean.

Its researcher and project leader of Larval-Highway: A Scalable Larval Collection With Targeted Settlement System for Reef Rehabilitation (Larval-Highway), Associate Professor Dr. Tan Chun Hong, said that the funding was a recognition of UMT researchers' expertise in the field of tropical coral ecology and marine conservation.

He said the project would be implemented in collaboration with Prince of Songkla University, Thailand and Reef Check Malaysia.

The Larval-Highway project is designed to empower the natural recovery of coral reefs by using the power of ocean currents to spread larvae to affected reef areas.

"With a low cost and minimal carbon impact, this system can become a sustainable coral restoration model not only for Malaysia but also for the Southeast Asian region," he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, UMT vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohd Zamri Ibrahim said the implementation of the Larval-Highway project not only strengthens UMT's position as a research leader in the region but also directly contributes to coral reef restoration efforts throughout the Coral Triangle region, which is one of the richest marine biodiversity areas in the world.

According to him, only high-potential projects with a global impact on marine conservation will receive the funding.

CORDAP is an international platform under the G20 global initiative that supports research and technology development to accelerate the recovery of coral reefs worldwide.

"Only projects with high potential to have a global impact on marine conservation were selected to receive this prestigious funding," he also said.

-- BERNAMA