Mapping the Secret Gardens of the Sea
- UM Research
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Associate Professor Dr. Jillian Ooi Lean Sim
Department of Geography
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Area of Expertise:
Marine Ecology> Seagrass Ecosystems> Seagrass-environment interactions, seagrass-human interactions, root traits, restoration
How a Malaysian geographer from Universiti Malaya is putting seagrass meadows on the map and into the public imagination.
On some tides along the Johor coast, the sea seems to retreat and reveal a quiet city. Blades of seagrass ripple like avenues. Juvenile fish dart between shoots, and where the meadow is thickest you may find the faint tracks of a visitor that Malaysians have long loved in legend but rarely see: the dugong. These places are often overlooked, sometimes mistaken for seaweed which are among the most important habitats in our region. They hold shorelines together, feed fisheries, and store carbon. And for the past two decades, Associate Professor Dr. Jillian Ooi Lean Sim has made it her mission to show us where they are, how they work, and why they matter.
A marine geographer at Universiti Malaya, Ooi works at the intersection of field ecology, spatial mapping, and community science. Her research focuses on mixed‑species seagrass meadows: where they occur, how they change with tides and seasons, and what they provide for people and wildlife.
The work may sound technical (camera transects, habitat assessments, predictive models) but its purpose is simple: make the hidden visible so that leaders and local communities can protect what sustains them.
From Boots in the Mud to Maps on the Wall
To map seagrass properly, you need patience and teamwork. Ooi’s field days begin before dawn, timing boat launches to the tide. Her team lays out transects, notes species, measures cover, and logs coordinates.
Back at the lab, satellite and drone imagery help stitch those observations into detailed habitat maps. The result is a living picture of coastal ecosystems that can guide decisions from where to site a jetty to which coves deserve the strongest protection.
The research has had real‑world consequences. Early dugong–seagrass work in Johor dating back to 2005 helped spark the proposal for a Dugong Sanctuary. In 2006, ecological evidence contributed to halting an airport plan on sensitive coral–seagrass habitat in Pulau Tioman. In 2017, biodiversity assessments underpinned the gazettement of Pulau Lima Marine Park in Johor. Each milestone began with careful observation in the field and ended with maps that policymakers could not ignore.
A Community Project by Design
If seagrass meadows are to last, monitoring cannot be a once‑a‑year academic exercise. That’s why Ooi pairs research with citizen science. Through regular field training and Seagrass Nature Walks, coastal communities in Mersing and around the Johor River estuary learn to collect data, identify species, and spot threats like prop scarring and sediment runoff.
Groups like Reef Check Malaysia, Kelab Alami Mukim Tanjung Kupang, and volunteers from Mersing help sustain the effort, turning monitoring into a local habit rather than a one‑off project.
This community approach is now scaling through the Yayasan PETRONAS Seagrass Mapping & Community Programme (2025–2026). With support amounting to RM 1,140,894, the two‑year initiative is mapping priority habitats in Johor while training residents to keep watch long after the research team leaves the beach. The outputs feed directly into Malaysia’s emerging blue‑carbon strategies, recognising the role coastal plants like seagrass play in capturing and storing carbon.
Science Meets Stage
Ooi is also a rare scientist who is comfortable on a theatre stage. In 2023, she conceived and music‑directed Seruan Setu – Secret Gardens of the Sea, a contemporary gamelan production that translated seagrass ecology into sound and movement. The show sold out at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre and drew audiences who might never have read a journal article on coastal ecosystems. Since then, Ooi has been invited to speak about seagrass conservation and creative outreach at COP28 in Dubai (2023) and at TEDx Petaling Street (2025). The message travels further when it sings.
Teaching for the Long Tide
At Universiti Malaya, Ooi teaches Physical Geography, Physical Environment, Biogeography, Quantitative Methods, and Environmental Ethics are courses that ground students in the science and values behind conservation. She is a hands‑on mentor, with two PhD and eight Master’s completions guided to date. Many of her trainees now lead projects of their own, some on prestigious scholarships such as the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong Scholarship and Chevening. In the field, her emphasis on safety, teamwork, and methodical data collection sets a standard for a new generation of Malaysian marine scientists.
Recognition Along the Way
For this work, Ooi has received a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation (2022) which is one of the field’s most respected honours for the project What Lies Beneath: Revealing the Secret Life of Seagrass Roots and the Hidden Charisma of Seagrass Habitats. In 2024, she earned the UM Excellence Award (Arts & Creative Category). Earlier recognitions include the UM Excellence in Service Award (2006, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023), the Komai Fellowship (2015), and the Endeavour IPRS in Australia (2008–2011). Her arts collaborations have also been celebrated with multiple BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.
What Comes Next...
Over the next five years, Ooi aims to deliver Malaysia‑fit restoration protocols for degraded meadows—methods grounded in local ecology that communities and managers can implement without specialised equipment. She is expanding a citizen‑science network across Johor’s islands and estuaries to maintain continuous, community‑owned datasets. And she is deepening the art–science–policy bridge so evidence can move swiftly from the shoreline to the decision table. All of this aligns with SDG 14: Life Below Water, and with a simple conviction she repeats often: conservation works best when people can see what they’re protecting.
“Saving seagrass isn’t just about data and science. It’s also about stories, emotions, and connections. Because when people care, they will take action”- quoted Dr Jilian that relates to her work on deepening the art-science-policy bridge.
How Can You Help?
Visit a meadow. Join a Seagrass Nature Walk in Johor and see this ecosystem up close.
Volunteer. Support partners such as Kelab Alami Mukim Tanjung Kupang, Reef Check Malaysia, Tengah Island Conservation or local community groups in Mersing.
Spread the word. Share stories and photos of seagrass. Visibility leads to stewardship.
In the end, the case for seagrass is practical as much as it is poetic. These meadows buffer storms, nurture fisheries, and store carbon. They are also beautiful in a quiet way, alive with small movements that power coastal life. Thanks to scientists like Dr Jillian Ooi and the communities working alongside her, Malaysia’s secret gardens of the sea are not so secret anymore.
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Researchers featured:
Associate Professor Dr. Jillian Ooi Lean Sim
Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya
For inquiries, please contact:
T: 03- 7967 5530
Author:
Ms Tan Wei Nie
With a keen interest, Tan Wei Nie, a PhD candidate in law, enriches her studies by fusing science with narrative, uncovering connections between the two fields. Her passion for nature and staying active fuels her enthusiasm for life and learning, infusing her journey with unexpected thrills and excitement.
Copyedit:
Siti Farhana Bajunid Shakeeb Arsalaan Bajunid, Assistant Registrar, UM
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