Seagrass coverage and associated fauna at Gaya Island, Sabah, Malaysia: A pilot seagrass transplantation

Saleh, Ejria; Yap, Tzuen-Kiat; Gallagher, John Barry

doi:10.51200/bjomsa.v4i1.1786

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Sudo and Nakaoka [78] described the distribution of South Asian seagrasses. The seagrass coverage [79] and meadow impact [80] in the Malaysian state of Sabah was reported recently. In the last seven years, the biomass and water quality parameters of extensively studied meadows in Merambong Shoal and Malacca Strait have been studied [81,82].…”

Section: Biology and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Trends in Seagrass Research and Conservation in Malaysian Waters

Kamal

Asif

Idris

et al. 2023

J.Trop.Life.Science

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The seagrass ecosystems found in the marine and coastal areas, with substantial eco-nomic and ecological services and span all over the globe excluding the Antarctic region. The Coral Triangle and Southeast Asia are recognized as a worldwide hotspot of seagrass species and habitats, encompassing 10-21 species of seagrass in every na-tion, although the study, understanding, and quantity of publications on seagrass eco-systems are rather limited in the region, including Malaysia. Malaysia contains 18 seagrass species from three families, which occupy 16.8 km2of coastal area, where the study and discovery of seagrass species and meadows began in 1904 with the re-port of Beccari. All of the published papers reviewed reported on Malaysian seagrass-related research, which was divided into nine topic groups: biology and distribution, carbon sequestration, fauna, remote sensing, impact and pollution genetic study, res-toration, microbiological investigation, and others. The extensive study of the seagrass ecosystem began in 1993, and we have identified 183 published papers from Scopus, 141 publications from Web of Science, and 42 from Google Scholar. However, the average trend of the number of publications from 1993 to 1999 was 0.71 ± 0.36, while from 2000 to 2022 was 7.70 ± 1.16 followed by the average trend of the yearly number of publications was 6.78 ± 1.08. The highest number of publications was found on faunal categories (43.17%), followed by biology and distribution (21.85%). The num-ber of articles that were published on Malaysian seagrass meadows each year has been discovered to be rising, which indicates that the trends in seagrass study and publish-ing were progressively garnering the attention of researchers, academics, and the gov-ernment. However, to better understand the sustainable ecology and ecosystem ser-vices provided by seagrass habitats, an emphasis on certain research niches, such as the genetic study of flora and fauna in seagrass meadows, microbial ecology, and res-toration as well as conservation of seagrass species might be helpful.

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Section: Biology and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Trends in Seagrass Research and Conservation in Malaysian Waters

Kamal

Asif

Idris

et al. 2023

J.Trop.Life.Science

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“…Seagrass cover at Kimihang on Kudat Mainland was slightly higher than at Balambangan Island. However, there is a fluctuation in seagrass cover due to seasonal monsoons (Saleh, Yap & Gallagher, 2020). In addition, H. ovalis was observed in Kimihang, but not at Balambangan Island.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations in body condition of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in two nearby foraging grounds indicate their sensitivity to foraging habitats

Nishizawa,

Joseph,

Jolis

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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Coastal seagrass habitats are critical foraging grounds for endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas). However, these habitats are vulnerable to anthropogenic effects, potentially leading to their degradation with consequent impacts on the health status of foraging green turtles. Two foraging habitats of green turtles in Tun Mustapha Park, Sabah, Malaysia were surveyed: Kudat Mainland and Balambangan Island, by capturing green turtles and evaluating their physical body condition as well as assessing seagrass cover. Despite having similar genetic compositions, the Kudat Mainland aggregation had significantly higher body size (curved carapace length: 61.7 ± 14.5 cm, body weight: 30.0 ± 22.2 kg), Fulton's body condition index (BCI: 1.49 ± 0.13), barnacle (Chelonibia testudinaria) occurrence (78.8%) and barnacle abundance (5.46 ± 9.90 barnacles/turtle) than the Balambangan Island aggregation (curved carapace length: 51.6 ± 8.1 cm, body weight: 17.3 ± 7.7 kg, BCI: 1.40 ± 0.09, barnacle occurrence: 31.0%, barnacle abundance: 0.50 ± 0.92 barnacles/turtle). The differences in BCI between the nearby aggregations could not be attributed to size and barnacle occurrence differences, suggesting the foraging habitat is the primary factor affecting the body condition of green turtles. Seagrass cover at Kudat Mainland was only slightly higher than at Balambangan Island. These findings suggest that the body condition of green turtles is potentially sensitive to the quality of foraging habitats such as nutrients and water quality. It is crucial to monitor the health of foraging habitats and their impact on the body condition of turtles. It is recommended that habitat‐turtle dynamics are given conservation priority, in parallel to water quality monitoring – with action taken to reduce pollution if necessary. A holistic approach to turtle conservation is therefore required.

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Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Malaysia – Status, Threats, and the Way Forward for Research and Policy

Lee,

Chee,

Huxham

et al. 2024

The Journal of Environment & Development

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Malaysia hosts some of the most productive blue carbon ecosystems globally. Here we review the status of and known threats faced by local mangroves and seagrass and examine conservation prospects using carbon financing. Based on lessons learnt from blue carbon projects worldwide, Malaysia needs to address governance and financing hurdles that include clarifying land tenureship, ensuring local community involvement and benefits, and obtaining sustainable financing for long-term success. Research to clarify uncertainties on extent of seagrass and trajectories of both seagrass and mangrove ecosystems is needed to determine baseline scenarios and demonstrate additionality in carbon projects. Clear, definitive national approach to blue carbon is essential to streamline accounting and inventory of carbon stocks and benefits. Addressing these barriers and gaps requires a whole of society approach and public-private partnerships and ultimately allow Malaysia to fully tap into the global voluntary carbon market, local businesses, philanthropy, and multilateral carbon financing.

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Seagrass coverage and associated fauna at Gaya Island, Sabah, Malaysia: A pilot seagrass transplantation

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Trends in Seagrass Research and Conservation in Malaysian Waters

Trends in Seagrass Research and Conservation in Malaysian Waters

Variations in body condition of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in two nearby foraging grounds indicate their sensitivity to foraging habitats

Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Malaysia – Status, Threats, and the Way Forward for Research and Policy

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