Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) sealed a formal collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, recently, cementing the university’s place as the institutional backbone of Malaysia’s Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) efforts in Sabah.
“The agreement between the Ministry and UMS signifies our dedication to integrating academic excellence with government policy,” said the Ministry’s Secretary-General Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainuddin when officiating the National Plan of Action 2.0 (NPOA 2.0) launching ceremony at the Le Meridien, here.
“This document reflects our nation’s collective resolve to safeguard our marine heritage,” she said.
The agreement signing took place during an official dinner hosted by the Ministry for the 12th Marine Protected Areas and the Coral Triangle Atlas Technical Regional Exchange and Marine Protected Areas Technical Working Group Meeting, held under the theme “Road Towards 2030: Resilient and Effective MPAs in the Coral Triangle Region”.
Anis Rizana said UMS had previously served as the CTI Sabah Branch Operations Office through earlier arrangements and that Wednesday’s signing formalised this important partnership.
Under the new agreement, the Sabah branch office will assist the Malaysia National Coordinating Committee in implementing CTI programmes and activities at both state and national levels.
“Healthy oceans are fundamental not only to biodiversity conservation but also to sustaining livelihoods, ensuring food security, supporting economic resilience and strengthening regional stability, making the formalisation of the partnership all the more timely,” she said.
Meanwhile, UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor said the university is honoured to carry the responsibility entrusted to it.
“As the institution hosting the CTI Sabah Office, UMS is honoured to support this important process through technical coordination, scientific input, and facilitation of multi-agency collaboration,” he said.
Kasim was represented by UMS Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Dr Rosalam Sarbatly.
“I extend my sincere congratulations to the team from UMS’ Institut Marin Borneo led by Associate Professor Dr Juanita Joseph, for their dedication and commitment in coordinating and finalising Malaysia’s Coral Triangle Initiative NPOA 2.0,” Kasim said.
“Since 2012, the CTI Sabah Office has played a role in compiling national reports, supporting federal and state engagement and linking Malaysia’s efforts with regional CTI processes.
“This technical role continues to strengthen communication among agencies and ensure that implementation is guided by scientific knowledge, field realities and regional priorities,” he said.
He said the NPOA 2.0, covering the period 2025 to 2030, is the product of wide and thorough consultation.
“The formulation is shaped through extensive engagements conducted throughout 2024 and 2025, involving government agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and community representatives,” he said.
He said these engagements is important to identify shared priorities and ensuring the plan reflected the practical needs of Malaysia’s diverse marine and coastal ecosystems.
“We are now facing urgent and unprecedented challenges in marine protection,” he said.
“Climate change continues to threaten coral reefs, fisheries and coastal ecosystems. Plastic pollution is increasingly impacting marine habitats and wildlife.
“Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities continue to undermine conservation efforts and threaten seafood security and the socio-economic well-being of coastal communities across the six Coral Triangle (CT6) countries,” he said.
He said these issues do not recognise national boundaries and that the CT6 countries must continue to work closely together to safeguard the mega biodiversity region that supported millions of livelihoods, food security and ecological balance.
“On behalf of UMS, I extend our sincere appreciation to the Ministry for the trust and confidence placed in us to support this important initiative,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing this collaboration through the CTI Sabah Office in strengthening Malaysia’s contribution to the regional agenda,” he added.
For the record, Malaysia is part of the CT6, which also includes Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.
The CT6 countries, formally established in 2009, are all signatories to the CTI on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security.
Malaysia is among three CT6 countries to have now formalised their plans under the renewed framework, alongside Indonesia, which formalised its updated plan in December last year and Papua New Guinea, which did so just last week.
Present were Sabah Parks Director cum Malaysia National Coordinating Committee Chair Datuk Dr Maklarin Lakim and CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat Executive Director Dr Frank Keith Griffin, among others.
