Bio-diversity

Tasik Chini or Lake Chini, is an important freshwater swamp ecosystem in the state of Pahang and due to an altered hydrology a decade ago has caused die-back of large areas of lowland forest that had not been subjected to extended inundation. The degradation of the ecosystem had affected the livelihoods of the local communities that depended on the scosystem services provided by the natural freshwater swamp ecosystem. The key objectives of this project is to build the capacity of the local indigenous people of the surrounding Tasik Chin, are to document and publish their knowledge on the importance of the lake ecosystem, and to empower the people to actively participate in discussions with regard to the management/restoration planning process currently being undertaken in Tasik Chini. Through the`village research` approach, the local villagers will be empowered with the necessary tools and`know-how` to embark on a systematic approach to document their knowledge and key ecosystem processes that are important to them. Various methods including photographic and publications will be used to document their traditional knowledge. The project will also organise and build the capacity of the local indigenous communities to participate in the management.restoration/development planning process and prepare the local communities for engagement with forums/meeting with regard to the rehabilitation/development planning process currently being undertaken by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and The East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC). The project demonstrates a holistic and community-based approach in restoration planning in collaboration with local government development for sustainability. Project activities for Objective 1: Local community group at Tasik Chini to publish their traditional knowledge and values, include 1.Organizing local community groups into specific`village research` groups absed on locally identified area of interest or concern in relation to the ecosystems and natural resources, such as fisheries or aquatic vegetation or traditional fishing gear. 2. The village researchers will be empowered with tools and approaches to systematically document the information collected such as for plants and preparation of herbarium specimens. 3. Meetings/trips to collect/collate and process information, 4. Presentation/communication of information collected/compiled at selected forums, 5. Final compilation and publishing of information based on local research Objective 2: Empowering local communities to actively engage in the management/restoration planning process of Tasik Chini will include the following activities; 1. Training of local communities in concepts of IWRM and understanding their role in the management/restoration planning process, 2. Briefing of local communities on progress with regard to the management restoration planning proces, 3. Supporting local communities in preparation for participation in the relevant forums and working group meetings, including the restoration planning process.

Malaysia