Bio-diversity

This project seeks to empower local coastal communities towards better sustainable marine biodiversity management. The project will work with two local communities in the Pulai River Estuary of Johore state, namely the Malay inshore fishermen at Tanjung Kupang, and Seletar indigenous people of Kampung Simpang Arang. The objectives and the activities of the project are comprised of four components. The first three components are targeted at building the capacity of the local communities in managing the marine biodiversity resources in a much more sustainable manner. In the first and second components, the local communities will participate in monitoring the conditions of significant seagrass and protecting endangered species found in the Pulai River Estuary. In the third component, the local communities will be directly involved in the planning of a marine reserve nearby Merambong, inline with the plans of the Johor state government. The fourth component is associated with a pilot eco-tourism initiative, including the establishment of a museum and a mangrove boardwalk, operated and managed by the Seletar indigenous peoples community. The eco-tourism venture is designed to generate alternative income and also to enhance the wise use of mangroves and other marine and terrestrial biodiversity, thereby improving the sustainable livelihoods of the local communities.

Malaysia