Community-Based Seagrass Meadows Conservation in Penang South Channel
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Date
2013
Authors
Sim, Yee Kwang
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Abstract
The project site was chosen at Penang South Channel (a channel separating Penang Island and
mainland Peninsular Malaysia) due to its rich biodiversity and fisheries with a significant number of
coastal communities relying on them for their livelihood. As many developments have been planned
around South Channel (especially seagrass meadows near Penang bridget it is extremely crucial to
strengthen the community's sense of ownership in order to safeguard these resources. This
sustainable livelihood based project aims to empower the local community and public volunteers in
resource assessment and monitoring; furthermore to raise marine awareness in the local schools
through education and outreach activities within the project duration of one year. The local
community participants, public volunteers and corporate members will be given training and take
part in seagrass meadow monitoring & assessments through Seagrass-Watch method/program as
seagrass serves as vital fish nursery grounds and the seagrass conditions reflects the overall health of
South Channel. Seagrass also able to absorb nutrients from coastal run-off and stabilize sediment,
helping to keep the water clear. Results indicated that intertidal area of Pulau Gazumbo is
dominated by Ha!ophila ova/is with average percentage coverage observed (43.78%) during the
monitoring period. The sediments found at the intertidal area of Pulau Gazumbo were mostly
muddy, thus favouring the dispersion of H. ova/is. However, Enhalus acoroides and H. beccarii were
found in low abundance. The macrobenthos found in Pulau Gazumbo were dominated by
crustaceans (58.79%); followed by gastropod (33.40%) and worm (4.33%). Lowest percentage group
was sea cucumber (0.07%). Despite its small size (14.25 km2t Pulau Gazumbo has diversed
macrobenthos. A total of selected 32 participants were interviewed to obtain their opinions about
the seagrass monitoring programme. More than half (59%, n=19) of the participants gave positive
response when asked their general opinions about the seagrass monitoring. Only 19% (n=6) were negative of the monitoring while the rest (22%, n=7) were neutral. Majority (75%, n=24) of the
participants felt benefited from the programme in term of knowledge gained (50%, n=16), research
skill gained (16%, n=S) and having fun (9%, n=3). The findings of this study suggest that adequate
support and training towards local communities are keys to monitor the changes in seagrass
ecosystem in response to natural and anthropogenic impacts. Community-based monitoring
programmes are important to coastal management especially when government agencies with
limited funding and resources to monitor and manage the seagrass resources.