Did you know that Malaysia has more than 200 coral reef sites, home to more than 600 species of corals? These numbers alone have put our country at the forefront of global coral reef study and conservation efforts, led by the likes of Mr. Affendi.
Mr. Affendi Yang Amri from IOES is one of the leading country experts on coral reef conservation and rehabilitation, with more than 25 years’ experience. Inspired by documentaries by Jacques Cousteau, he has always dreamed of being a marine conservationist since young.
Since there were no undergraduate degree courses in the country that cover coral reef ecology study at that time, he enrolled in the Ecology program at Faculty of Science @isb_um @unimalaya.
Mr. Affendi had postgraduate research training in Australia, and even had the chance to work and stay at the Great Barrier Reef! He also received mentorship from Dr Charlie Veron, widely accepted as the Godfather of Coral 😎
This young-at-heart researcher continues to conduct his conservation work, recently establishing Project PULIH @projectpulih with other fellow like-minded researchers. He is frequently consulted by the Fisheries Department, state governments and agencies, and various entities for advice relating to coral reef ecosystems in the country.
Did you know that Mr. Affendi was one of the very few lucky people who got to dissect a dugong in 2005? Contact him at affendi@um.edu.my if you would like to know more about that story, or his experience being stranded at the Great Barrier Reef for almost 2 months without food supply, ya?
https://www.utusan.com.my/ekonomi/2022/03/rhb-um-bantu-pulih-terumbu-karang/
📸 Profile photos by Mohd. Yani Alias for PPP. Coral reef photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash