Participants’ group discussions and presentations (representatives from Wetlands International, Klang Municipal Council, Klang Coastal Area District Forestry Office and Fisherman’s Association) during workshop sessions on June 14, 2017.
The livelihoods of inshore fishermen are threatened by the loss of fisheries productivity. Among the identified causes are coastal erosion, pollution as well as mangrove destruction. While these impacts might due to the lack of awareness about mangrove and mangrove-based fishery resources, continual engagement between government, community and other resources users is vital to help in managing these resources for the sustainability of fishery activities which are dependent on mangrove forests.
This research project will study the relationship between local mangrove uses and users at the study site of Klang Islands. It aims to actively engage local stakeholders including government agencies and local authorities, industrial players, NGOs and local coastal communities. Specifically, this project will set the foundation for community-based fishery management in mangrove system and develop an environmental education program emphasizing the importance of mangroves to the locals.
A series of four workshops has been planned and will be conducted from 2017 to 2019. The first workshop, “Understanding Mangrove Uses, Users and Linkages in the Klang Islands”, was held in Klang on 14th June 2017. The workshop participants consisted of government agencies, non-government bodies and representatives from the fishing communities. Participants were to share and discuss their views during workshop sessions, with the aims to:
1. Understand the uses and users of mangroves.
2. Identify the issues and concerns about the Klang Islands mangroves.
3. Identify the direct and indirect stakeholders who may impact or be impacted by
mangroves.
4. Capture concerns, conflict and interactions among stakeholders towards building collaborative
mangrove management.
A conceptual tool, namely Net-Map, was used during the first workshop to help facilitating discussions and sharing of experience and expertise among the participants. The workshop identified the importance of mangroves to the coastal communities in the Klang Islands, as well as highlighted a lack of appropriate and sustainable management practices and the need to encourage closer interaction among different stakeholder bodies (including communities, business and local and regional government).
Project research assistants, Ms Fatin Nabilah and Ms Jennice Yap have participated in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) organized by the Klang Municipal Council on 14th September 2017. The Focus Group Discussion was about local plan development on related sectoral issues, including coastal development in Klang Coastal areas which involved participants from government sector, private sector, non-government organizations (NGO) and academic representatives.
In addition, the research assistants have conducted site studies and interviews with the local communities at Carey Island, Ketam Island and Indah Island of Klang coastal areas from 2nd to 6th October 2017 to gather opinions and views regarding mangrove fisheries from the local coastal communities. The findings and lesson learnt from the workshop, fieldtrip and various engagement activities will lay the basis for the Master’s theses of Ms Fatin Nabilah and Ms Jennice Yap who are working on studies with the focus on the interdependencies of mangrove ecosystem services to the coastal communities’ well-being, as well as the contribution of mangroves to local fisheries production.
The project team is currently preparing for second workshop to be held in January 2018, with the aims to support different stakeholders to express their visions for the future of the mangrove and its fisheries resources, and capture the input of stakeholders that were not engaged during the first workshop. It will also encourage stakeholders to identify the steps that are needed to reach their visions, of what they want these mangroves to look like in future. The subsequent third and fourth workshop will be held in mid-year of 2018 and beginning of 2019 respectively, which help in shaping continuous project development directions and finally, conclude on how the project outcomes lay the foundation for supporting long term community-based management.
Through the series of workshops and other interactions, the project team hope to build lasting relationships and collaborations with and between stakeholders and support consensus-building for better future management of the mangrove fisheries of Klang Islands.
For more information, kindly contact:
1. Dr. Goh Hong Ching (Malaysia Principal Investigator)
Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
2. Dr Caroline Hattam (UK Principal Investigator)
Plymouth Marine Lab, Plymouth PL1 3DH, United Kingdom.
Email: [email protected]
3. Dr. Amy Then Yee Hui (Co-Researcher)
Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
4. Dr Moh Heng Hing (Co-Researcher)
Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
5. Nur Fatin Nabilah binti Ruslan (Research Assistant)
Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
6. Jennice Yap Shu Ee (Research Assistant)
Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on September 14, 2017 for the Klang Municipal Council Local Plan 2035 (Replacement).
An engagement and interview with the local indigenous community, Mah Meri, from Carey Island on October 2, 2017.
