The world, today, is passing through a period of great turmoil, socially, politically and environmentally, in spite of the numerous technological wonders that are taking place almost everyday. One needs to take a systems view of the influencing factors and their interactions and impacts in order to find the root causes of these problems and to arrive at viable policy options. System dynamics provides such an approach. The book authored by Professor Bala, Professor Fatimah and Professor Noh presents the principles of system dynamics in very simple language and illustrates its use with the help of five real-life case studies.This book is divided into two parts. The first part of the book presents, in a very simple way and starting with the fundamental principles, how complex interactions among the interacting forces can be modelled by capturing their cause-effect interrelations through dynamic models, how the models can be simulated and evaluated to depict reality and how policy interventions can be tested for testing their viability. Although the material covered in this part of the book is not new, the examples supporting the theoretical nuances of the subject covering population growth, grain storage, food security, commodity production, food relief, crop livestock, shrimp farming, crop irrigation and pollution are very interesting and appealing.In the second part of the book, the authors discuss case studies related to the areas of agriculture, aquaculture and environment in Bangladesh and Malaysia. Both hilsa fish and rice are important for the economy of Bangladesh, just as food security and cocoa production for Malaysia. The case study for solid waste management is well chosen as it is a perennial problem in third-world countries. This part of the book is illustrative of the power of system dynamics methodology as to how it can address many complex issues of today very easily.I believe that a newcomer to the field of system dynamics will find the book extremely useful and will be highly motivated to use system dynamics and systems thinking in understanding and addressing the issues that arise out of the behaviour of systems that are integral part of their lives.

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The Perhentian Island located in the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia is well-known for its rich coral reef ecosystems. Marine resources of Malaysia have been overexploited due to overfishing and tourism activities. As such no-take marine protected area (MPAs) were established in Malaysia, including Perhentian Island Marine Park to enable overexploited marine resources to recover and to conserve coral reef ecosystems. This paper examines the current level of activities causing damage to coral reef habitats in the Perhentian MPA. This study used paired comparison method to elicit the perception of local stakeholders on activities harmful to the marine habitats. The results of the analysis showed that various respondent groups had similar preference rankings on the harmful activities: littering, discarding fishing equipment, excess fishing and too many divers that cause damage to habitats in the MPA area. The findings suggest that policy makers should take cognizance of the local stakeholders' concern in planning and designing of marine protected areas in Malaysia.

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Soil hydraulic properties are quite variable, and characterization of field sites usually requires many measurements. One way to collect the data needed for field site characterization is to use multiple infil· trometers with automated data collection capabilities. Automated in· filtrometers use pressure transducers connected to a datalogger to measure cumulative infiltration over time. The FLOWDATA software was developed to reformat, graphically display, and analyze the large well-structured data sets collected with automated infiltrometers. Pro· gram features include interactive editing, graphing, statistical sum· maries for each infiltration data set, and pooling of estimates from multiple data sets. Inputs required are identification codes, times, transducer voltage readings, and transducer calibration files. Outputs are infiltration rates, and saturated and unsaturated hydraulic con· ductivities. Program performance is demonstrated with data from a typical field data tile.

This paper examines the economic benefits of artificial reefs (ARs) on artisanal fishers in Terengganu in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The data for this study was obtained from interviews with 290 artisanal fishers from three districts of Terengganu, using a structured questionnaire. The study found that for fishers, income from fishing was significantly lower in AR areas, compared to non-AR areas. The income of the fishers who used drift nets as their main fishing gear was significantly lower in AR areas. This indicates that income from fishing was not attributable to the AR programme in Malaysia. The results suggest that artificial reefs may not be effective at increasing catch and income for artisanal fishers in Terengganu. Furthermore, the larger-engined boats gained substantial fishing income, which seems to reflect unequal distribution of benefits, because only those who could invest in fishing equipment and who spent more on fishing operations were able to gain maximum benefits. The results suggest that the current use of multiple gear in the same fishing locations created conflicts between various groups of fishers, and increased fishing costs. These conflicts could be reduced if the artificial reef locations are clearly marked and they established user rights among various fisher groups. The fisheries agencies involved in artificial reefs programme should ensure that artificial reef development produces positive social and economic benefits for the local fishing communities through sustainable fisheries management in Malaysia.

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