KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Malaysia has lost the equivalent of 47,250 football fields’ worth of coral cover over the past three years, as the health of the nation’s reefs continues to decline, according to Reef Check Malaysia’s 2025 Annual Survey Report.

The report, based on surveys at 297 locations nationwide using the globally standardised Reef Check methodology, found that average live coral cover stood at 39.94 per cent in 2025 — a drop from 44.65 per cent the year before.

“National average live coral cover reduced from about 44.65 per cent in 2024 to 39.94 per cent in 2025. That’s a loss of five percentage points, or about 10 per cent of coral cover in just one year,” Reef Check Malaysia chief executive officer Julian Hyde said.

Looking further back, Hyde said live coral cover was around 50 per cent in 2022, meaning Malaysia has lost about 10 percentage points — or roughly 20 per cent — of its coral cover since then.

“We lost the equivalent of 47,250 football fields’ worth of coral cover in the last three years,” he stressed.

In a media statement, Reef Check Malaysia also attributed the continued decline to several factors, including the fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event in 2024, as well as unsustainable tourism, pollution, coastal development and destructive fishing practices.

The surveys also showed that most indicator fish and invertebrate populations remain low, even within marine protected areas where recovery might be expected.

Signs of disturbance were recorded at high levels across many reef sites, with 82.5 per cent affected by trash, 80 per cent by discarded fishing gear and nets, and 57.5 per cent by boat or anchor damage. Coral bleaching was documented at 67.5 per cent of the locations surveyed.

In Sabah, a third of the surveyed sites — 33.33 per cent — recorded damage linked to dynamite fishing.

“These findings matter because coral reefs are critical to jobs and food security for coastal communities,” Hyde said, noting that reefs, together with mangroves and seagrass meadows, form nursery systems that support fish stocks relied on by small-scale fishers.

He added that an estimated 140,000 small-scale fishers operate in Malaysia, with tens of thousands of households depending on coastal fisheries for food and income — livelihoods that rely directly on healthy marine ecosystems.

“Coral reefs are also an important tourism product. According to some sources, tourism accounts for 15 per cent of GDP and 25 per cent of employment in Malaysia,” Hyde said.

In response to the findings, Reef Check Malaysia is calling for improved reef protection, with a focus on reducing local stressors and strengthening the role of local communities.

The organisation urged the government to adopt a joint management approach that formally integrates local communities into the management of Malaysia’s marine protected areas, while also building both ecological and economic resilience.

“By reducing local impacts, we give reefs the best possible chance to withstand large-scale external pressures such as climate change,” Hyde said, adding that diversified livelihoods can help reduce pressure on reefs, particularly from tourism.

Reef Check Malaysia also called for a shift towards more sustainable tourism practices, moving away from mass tourism.

“We are not anti-tourism — we are pro-sustainable tourism,” Hyde said.

The organisation also encouraged the public to support efforts to strengthen protection for Malaysia’s coral reefs and marine ecosystems.