This is the first story in our new Ocean Reporter Series, where members of our community share their own ocean experiences, ideas, and initiatives. In this feature, a small dedicated team of Tanglin Trust School students – winners of the Deidre Lew Service Award – take us inside their coral conservation legacy project on Rawa Island, Malaysia.
From earning their PADI Open Water qualifications to conducting underwater biodiversity surveys with OrcaNation, these young changemakers are turning their passion for the ocean into action, leaving a legacy that future Tanglin students will build on for years to come.
If you would like to share your own story, article, opinion piece, photos, or videos as part of the Ocean Reporter Series, please email [email protected].
Written by Nancy Han
Team Members: Nancy Han, Ayesha Banerji, Albert Han, Rand Sirucek
We are a team of students who are driven, determined and passionate about making lasting change to the Marine Environment through our Legacy Project. We deeply care about the ocean, and hope to use this enthusiasm to inspire members of our community to take collective action.
Restoring Life Below the Surface
The ocean plays a vital role in maintaining the Earth’s balance and supporting the integrity of the biosphere. It helps sustain biodiversity, supports over half a billion people in income, food and protection. Yet, coral reefs, one of the most crucial components of the marine environment, are faced with the threat of 90% extinction if global temperature rises above 1.5˚C. We have already lost 40% of the world’s corals, so we must take action immediately in order to protect this vital ecosystem. By doing so, we are not only saving the ocean and marine life, but also ourselves and the future generations to come.
Why We Took Action: The Deidre Lew Service Award
The Deidre Lew Service Award was created by the Tanglin Trust School (TTS) Foundation in 2018, as a way for TTS students and alumni to give back to the community. It comes with funds from the Foundation in hopes of supporting and driving forward student-led initiatives.
We applied for the Deirdre Lew Service Award with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of marine conservation and coral reefs. Our mission stemmed from the UN sustainable goal #14 ‘Life Below Water’, and we hope to establish a long term project, a legacy, by taking the initial steps and inspiring the students of Tanglin to continue coral conservation efforts at Rawa for years to come. Our team is made up of Tanglin students ranging from the age of 12 to 17, all of whom bring unique ideas and initiative to the table. We believe this diversity makes our project more inclusive and accessible to all students that are eager to learn and help. We look forward to the day, when members of the Tanglin family visit the island, they will be able to see the enduring legacy we have left behind. We strive to be brave adventurers, strong-minded people, leaders and action-takers. The voice for the oceans.
Coral Conservation with OrcaNation
In July 2024, we travelled to Rawa Island, Malaysia in hopes of partaking in baseline research to understand more about the sub-aquatic environment on the island, and designate an area of reef for future Tanglin students to study and observe. After obtaining our PADI open water diving qualifications, we took part in monitoring existing coral beds, conducting underwater biodiversity assessments, and monitoring ecological trends across different reef zones. The team working at OrcaNation on site at Rawa do this bimonthly to add to their log of the population of this habitat as well as the number of species present. After resurfacing, we compiled our data with the professionals on site and learnt more about what we had seen, and the potential impact of different conservation interventions.
How You Can Help
This trip profoundly impacted us, as we not only learned about the effects of global warming on coral and marine environments but also realised the importance of taking proactive steps to make a difference. No matter your age or background – whether you are a student, teacher or parent, if you share a passion for marine conservation we firmly believe we can work together as like minded people and make a difference.
Each of you can play your part through raising awareness, educating others, donating to conservation organisations as well as supporting marine protected areas.
While individual efforts may seem small in the grand scheme of marine conservation, we firmly believe that meaningful change starts with small steps. We hope that in the future, when members of the Tanglin community visit the island, they will witness and add to the enduring legacy we have left behind.
Watch the video the team made here : https://www.tts.edu.sg/news-and-events/latest-news/tanglin-news/~board/2022-news/post/deidre-lew-service-award-legacy-project-rawa
Follow The Tanglin Marine Conservation Team on Instagram: @ttsmarineconservation
If you would like to share your own story, article, opinion piece, photos, or videos as part of the Ocean Reporter Series, please email [email protected].
