13 November 2025

Bobby Burnand, part of our Building Services team in the London office, recently spent two weeks volunteering at the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRACC) in East Malaysia.

 

 

An organisation dedicated to protecting coral reefs and turtles in Borneo, TRACC is based on Pom Pom Island, a small, beautiful coral reef island in the Celebes Sea, approximately 30 kilometres north-east of Semporna town, Sabah, East Malaysia.

The island is just 2.3 kilometres in circumference at the high tide line, with a fringing coral reef stretching four kilometres long. It’s a stunning location, and you can walk around the coast in about 30 minutes!

 

For the past decade, TRACC has worked to restore marine ecosystems devastated by destructive practices such as fish bombing. With the help of scientists, researchers, and volunteers, they aim to rejuvenate coral reefs and safeguard biodiversity.

During his two-week volunteering placement, Bobby helped build artificial reef structures, which were sunk to the sea floor and planted with baby corals to encourage reef regeneration. Other activities included collecting turtle and fish data and picking up and recording rubbish that washes up on the beach. This data is sent to the Malaysian authorities so that biodiversity and pollution levels can be monitored and used as evidence in conservation laws and efforts.

Thanks to TRACC’s work, parts of the reef are now thriving, home to turtles, schools of fish, and even octopuses. While progress is remarkable, there’s still much to do and volunteers like Bobby make a real difference.

Beyond the conservation work, life on Pom Pom Island was unforgettable, Bobby spent evenings playing volleyball, Monopoly Deal or simply watching sunsets from the jetty. It’s a reminder that protecting our planet can be both rewarding and enriching.

To find out more about TRACC please click here.