“Conservation is a state of harmony between man and land” – Aldo Leopold

TIOMAN ISLAND, PAHANG, OCTOBER 2016 – Berjaya Tioman Resort recently held the Tioman Island Clean-Up Day (TICD) to play our parts in restoring the beauty of the sea and to preserve the splendid sanctuary of Tioman Island. The event took place from 21rd October 2016 and a total of 112 divers from Singapore and Malaysia participated in this year’s TICD to unite together for planet earth in preserving the nature. Representatives from Reef Check, Shark Savers and Jabatan Taman Laut were also present to show their support towards this event.

TICD is an annual CSR event started in 2010 with continuous commitment and support from PADI Project Aware, dive centres and divers from around the region and members of the media. Mr Sonny Gan, the General Manager of Berjaya Tioman Resort shares, “The objective of TICD is to raise public awareness on the importance of conserving the island’s marine environment and for this year, we choose the tagline 'Together for Planet Earth' because we believe that TICD unites everyone in one place to give back to mother earth as much as possible”.

The participants of TICD comprise of both divers and non-divers from all over Malaysia and Singapore and are all driven by the same passion: care for sustainable environment. Last year, we embarked on a RM200,000-project “Shelter in the Sea” where 67 concrete pipes of different sizes have been laid on the seabed between Berjaya Tioman Resort’s dive centre and Rengis Island in Pahang. These concrete pipes ranging between 1m and 2.1m in diameter provide shelter for marine species once corals start to grow on them. Laid at 8m to 11m deep in a 50m by 50m area on the seabed, the area will become a coral garden to sustain the marine ecosystem.

This year, TICD continues to extend this project parameters to provide a bigger area of conducive environment for corals and marine life by submerging 6 units of coral nursery table, covering approximately 36ft width underwater to further encourage the productivity of coral reefs. The divers also scoured through the ocean to remove COT (Crown of Thorns) as they prey on nearly all corals and is said to be responsible for 42 per cent of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef. Alvin Chelliah, the Program Manager of Reef Check Malaysia quoted that, “the only reason we are going in and collecting the Crown of Thorns is because its natural predators have been fished out by human, hence why we are taking things in our hands collecting the COTs unnaturally”. Coral planting was also part of the activities as the divers relocated the harvested corals and planted them at the designated nursery tables. Mr Alvin Chelliah added “many do not realize that human activities on land has damaged these reefs and that is why we have to go in and re-plant the reefs”.

Berjaya Tioman Resort is doing a continuous effort by expanding the shelter of the sea to enable the corals to grow and attract more marine lives to the area. As a sincere gratitude to our hardworking divers, the Singapore Dive Operator hosted a Gala Dinner to appreciate them and presented awards for the dive operators that contributed to the dive community.

The non-divers had the chance to experience an extraordinary journey of creating a kinship with Mother Nature throughout the 3D2N event with visiting the Berjaya Tioman Resort’s herbs garden as well as jungle trekking to the waterfall. They were given the chance to do water activities as well such as snorkeling in Pulau Renggis, Glass Bottom Boat Activity and kayak. It is a bonus for them as Berjaya Tioman Resort has an 18-hole golf course and they were able to experience the Discover Golf during their stay.

Each year, TICD will have one marine icon to be highlighted throughout the event and this year, the icon is the majestic seahorse. We believe that we need to instill the environmental awareness from young as these are the future of the world, hence, we have invited 10 students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Tekek and 20 students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tekek to participate in a simple ‘Recycle, Reuse and Rebuild’ Project, in which they built two giant seahorses using recycled plastic bottles. The giant seahorses were displayed during the Gala Dinner as a symbol of annual icon for TICD 2016.

TICD 2016 has reflected the true meaning of togetherness and teamwork, fuelled by the passion for the environment. As green-consciousness grows, Berjaya Tioman Resort continues to identify new ways to enhance environmentally-friendly practices and encourage sustainability. Caring for the environment is becoming a vital part of our ‘Legacy of Care’ by Berjaya, instilled by its founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and we are committed to maintain the Tioman Island Clean-Up Day as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to give back to Mother Nature.

Media Contacts:

Name: Mr Sonny Gan, General Manager
DL: +609 4191 979
Email: Sonny.Gan@berjayahotel.com

About Berjaya Tioman Resort - Malaysia

Berjaya Tioman Resort is situated on Tioman Island, off the east coast in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. Providing a haven from bustling city life, it captures the hearts of many with its traditional Malay-styled chalets set amidst miles of palm-fringed beaches, clear waters and misty mountains. As the island’s only premier resort, Berjaya Tioman Resort offers exclusive chalet-style accommodation and an 18-hole golf course sprawled over 208 acres of tropical rainforest. With its surrounding waters rich with marine life, dive enthusiasts can look forward to wondrous underwater adventures, especially with the resort’s 5-star PADI Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre facilitating diving sessions. Besides the fun-filled land and sea activities, Ayura Spa at Berjaya Tioman Resort presents an array of spa treatments for mind and soul revitalization. Visit online at www.berjayahotel.com/tioman for more information.

About Berjaya Hotels & Resorts

Berjaya Hotels & Resorts is a member of the Berjaya Corporation Group of Companies, a public listed Malaysian conglomerate. Presently, the group manages Berjaya properties in Malaysia, Asia Pacific and UK. From the exotic island resorts of Langkawi, Tioman and Redang, to the city hotels of Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang in Malaysia, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts’ prominence extends across borders with the establishment of international hotels and resorts in Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and United Kingdom. The group also owns and operates a commercial airline, service suites and exclusive golf & country clubs in Malaysia. Visit online at www.berjayahotel.com for more information.

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