MAQIVE Malaysia Aqua Archive

Overview and Founding

MAQIVE (Malaysia Aqua Archive) is a digital archive of Malaysia's aquatic biodiversity history. It is a collaborative initiative led by the South China Sea Repository and Reference Centre (RRC), a unit of the Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS) at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), in partnership with the Faculty of Science and Marine Environment (FMSE) and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Hub Malaysia. The project was funded by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) of the United States, with an initial grant of $12,000. An international digitization seminar and workshop was convened in November 2023 to advance the project.

Collections and Holdings

MAQIVE is dedicated to digitizing Malaysia's diverse aquatic ecosystems, curating historical records, photographs, and scientific data related to the country's marine biodiversity heritage. The archive focuses on preserving records of Malaysia's rich coastal and marine environments, which are part of the globally significant Coral Triangle biodiversity zone. INOS, which hosts the archive, curates more than 20,000 marine specimens and is recognized by the Malaysian Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources as the main centre for marine collections in Malaysia.

Access and Usage

MAQIVE aims to make Malaysia's marine biodiversity heritage openly accessible online. The archive supports conservation research, natural history documentation, and public education. The project promotes international collaboration in marine biodiversity preservation and digitization.