A proposed decision support tool for prioritising conservation planning of Southeast Asian seagrass meadows: combined approaches based on ecosystem services and vulnerability analyses

Abstract

Seagrass habitats provide a range of goods and benefits to coastal communities by supporting ecosystem functioning, food provisioning, and cultural values. However, they are at risk worldwide from anthropogenic activities, climate change impacts and limited resources, which hamper efforts to protect them. Effective conservation planning requires prioritisation of sites based on multiple factors, including their relative value and vulnerability (VU). The current study examines the efficacy of combining two well-established approaches – ecosystem service assessments and habitat VU analyses – to test a method for determining conservation priority for selected seagrass meadows in Southeast Asia. Seven seagrass meadows around Southeast Asia were selected and scored by the authors based on (1) the cumulative contribution of 12 ecosystem services (ES) and the condition of the meadows, (2) VU from 16 anthropogenic threats, which were each ranked against five factors (spatial scale, frequency, functional impact, resistance and recovery time) and (3) the combination of the two approaches to create a single numerical index. Prioritisation of sites differed when meadows were scored solely for the ES they provide, compared to how vulnerable they are to anthropogenic threats. The new combined analysis brought the two metrics together to give conservation priority to sites where management intervention will yield maximum conservation benefits from conservation effort, and resulted in the prioritisation of three sites: Barrang Lompo (Indonesia), Cape Bolinao (Philippines) and Beting Tanjung Kupang (Malaysia). This method is easy to use and does not require great technical expertise. It is also auditable, allowing for clear and transparent understanding of decision-making process.

Records of sea star (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) diversity in a disturbed tropical seagrass meadow

“…The species composition recorded in the Sungai Pulai estuarine area is also comparable to the sea star species in the seagrass meadows of Tanjung Chek Jawa (Singapore) on the eastern side of the Straits of Johor (Tan and Yeo, 2003). These authors recorded at least eight species, with five coinciding with the present study (i.e.…”

“…Our findings contribute to understanding the general biodiversity in Malaysia, and particularly the seagrasses of Sungai Pulai estuary that haverecently been highlighted as among the recommended and prioritised meadows for conservation efforts in Southeast Asia (Tan et al, 2018). On gaining insights into the ecological status of the Sungai Pulai estuarine Fig.…”

“…In this study we also compiled past checklists of sea stars in the sampling sites and nearby areas, and then compared these to review the sea stars records found in this study (table 3). These past records include those from Tan and Yeo (2003), Choo et al (2009) and Pinn et al (2014), all studies performed in seagrass areas.…”

Species composition and habitat preferences of benthic ostracod and foraminifera in seagrass and non-seagrass systems within a tropical estuary

“…and Halodule ssp., are found in both meadows (Rozaimi et al ., 2017). The shoals of Tanjung Adang and Merambong have lost areal cover due to coastal modification (Hossain et al ., 2018); as such, the seagrass meadows of the Sungai Pulai Estuary have been prioritized for conservation efforts (Tan et al ., 2018 b ). In comparison, Merambong Island is an uninhabited island located along the Straits of Johor.…”

“…Despite their wide use as bioindicators in other regions (Ruiz et al, 2004), very little is known about the assemblages of these taxa or the impact of disturbance within seagrass meadows in South-east Asia. Meadows in this region are under particular threat due to significant human modification of the coastal environment (Tan et al, 2018b). Contemporary studies (Faiz et al, 2017(Faiz et al, , 2018 have focused on foraminiferal distribution, and little attention has been given to how this distribution can be applied to environmental monitoring.…”