Assessment on reproductive biology of Asian swamp eel, Monopterus javanensis La Cepède 1800 in relation to the impacts of paddy practice management in Kelantan, Malaysia

In order to understand the life history of the Asian swamp eel, Monopterus javanensis found in paddy fields, the time of maturation of its gonads was studied by using the gonadal somatic index. The peak gonadal somatic index was first found during the ploughing and seedling seasons in 2011 and 2012. This was accompanied by the yellowish egg sac observation made in the eels during the ploughing and seedling seasons, which was indicative of the mid- and early maturation stages of the gonads. However, the decline in GSI from the growing until the harvesting seasons indicated the poor development of gonads since differentiating the sex of the eels was hard. This could be due to the heavy application of pesticides and fertilisers during the growing season as cadmium present as impurities in the fertilisers, which slowly accumulated in the gonads. The findings highlighted the availability of Asian swamp eels for local eel collectors as part of their income and the complexity of heavy metal bioaccumulation in their gonads for safe eel consumption. Overall, the habitat of the Asian swamp eels may induce the differences in the maturation timing for the species

Checklist of fishes at Pergau Lake, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia

A survey was conducted to determine the diversity of fish in Pergau Lake, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia from 2 September to 18 October of 2016. Fish samples were collected at seven random sampling stations around the lake by using setting trap method. The collected samples were preserved in 10% formalin solution and delivered to the laboratory for further identification process. Fourteen species, namely as Hemibagrus nemurus, Hampala macrolepidota, Clarias batrachus, Channa striata, Cyprinus carpio, Poropuntius smedleyi, Pangasius sp., Oreochromis niloticus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Leptobarbus hoevenii, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, Tor tambroides, Osteochilus hasselti and Neolissochilus soroides, comprising of six families were collected during this study. From this study, family of Cyprinidae was the dominant species in Pergau Lake with exactly 50% of catch percentage, followed by family of Bagridae (29%), Cichlidae (10%), Clariidae (5%), Channidae (3%) and Pangasiidae (3%). This study shows that there is still a diversity of fish species in Pergau Lake, showing that the water and its environmental condition is very good

Lead concentration in long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) hair in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has the potential to be a good biological indicator for toxic exposure because they have an almost similar physiology and behaviour to humans. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of lead (Pb) in hair samples of long-tailed macaques which were found in and out of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) area. The hypothesis is long-tailed macaques that live in the anthropogenic area (outside KSNP) may be exposed to high levels of lead compared to long-tailed macaques living in the forest area (inside KSNP). Analysis of hair samples were carried out using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study found that the average mean of lead concentration in the anthropogenic area is 6.31 μg/g while for the forest area it is 3.16 μg/g. Lead concentration in the two areas are statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, lead concentration in the anthropogenic area recorded a slightly higher mean concentration than in the forest area. Even so, results of this study indicate that long-tailed macaques in Kuala Selangor are not exposed to high levels of lead. This study is the first in Malaysia to utilise long-tailed macaques as a biological indicator for testing the concentration of toxic substances in the environment. This study is still in its early stages; thus, future research requires improvements

Visitor Willingness to Pay using Travel Cost Method at Taman Negeri Gunung Stong, Kuala Krai, Kelantan

Forest Park Recreation is a place that offers a vast experience and scenic views to visitors. However, there isn't a proper market transaction for ecosystem services, so it might not be reflected in market transactions. Therefore, it's critical to consider travel and time expenses when determining what individuals value in the absence of a market price. This study aims to estimate the visitor's willingness to pay for forest park recreation using the Travel Cost Method (TCM) at Taman Negeri Gunung Stong, Kuala Krai, Kelantan. A convenience sampling technique is employed in this study. The data was collected from 379 respondents using face-to-face interviews with the visitors who entered the park. The TCM result revealed that the recreational value at TNGS is RM 1,286,531.80 per year, with a mean of the willingness to pay value is RM4.34 per visitor. The regression analysis results indicated that gender, age, income, total travel cost and time access to the site are the variable effects on the willingness to pay and visit people to the forest park. The findings of this study could be an effective instrument for raising the standard of environmental services and enhancing the infrastructure and services in the studied area

Evolution of green space under rapid urban expansion in Southeast Asian cities

Globally, rapid urban expansion has caused green spaces in urban areas to decline considerably. In this study, the rapid expansion of three Southeast Asia cities were considered, namely, Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Metro Manila, Philippines. This study evaluates the changes in spatial and temporal patterns of urban areas and green space structure in the three cities over the last two decades. Land use land cover (LULC) maps of the cities (1988/1989, 1999 and 2014) were developed based on 30-m resolution satellite images. The changes in the landscape and spatial structure were analysed using change detection, landscape metrics and statistical analysis. The percentage of green space in the three cities reduced in size from 45% to 20% with the rapid expansion of urban areas over the 25-year period. In Metro Manila and Jakarta, the proportion of green space converted to urban areas was higher in the initial 1989 to 1999 period than over the latter 1999 to 2014 period. Significant changes in green space structure were observed in Jakarta and Metro Manila. Green space gradually fragmented and became less connected and more unevenly distributed. These changes were not seen in Kuala Lumpur City. Overall, the impact of spatial structure of urban areas and population density on green space is higher in Jakarta and Metro Manila when this is compared to Kuala Lumpur. Thus, the results have the potential to clarify the relative contribution of green space structure especially for cities in Southeast Asia where only a few studies in urban areas have taken place

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management

Survey on Heavy Metals Contamination and Health Risk Assessment in Commercially Valuable Asian Swamp Eel, Monopterus albus from Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract This work investigates the metals concentration in the tissues of Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus. Five selected tissues, including liver, gill, bone, skin, and muscle were examined for the concentration of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni. The concentrations of Cd and Pb were found high in the muscle tissues of the eels. Additionally, high amounts of Zn and Cu metals were observed in the liver, whereas the Cd, Pb, and Ni metals were highly detected in gill. The accumulation of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni in both skin and bone of the eel seems to vary between seasons. Low levels of Zn, Cu, and Ni were identified in the muscle tissues of the eels. This study revealed that the concentration of Cd and Pb in the muscle tissues of Asian swamp eels exceeded the permissible limits by the US EPA, suggesting the consumption of the muscle may be hazardous and can severely affect one’s health

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management

Spatial Distribution of COVID-19 Infected Cases in Kelantan, Malaysia

Kota Bharu city in Kelantan, Malaysia was reported with the highest cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among other districts. Kota Bharu is the capital city of Kelantan, which acts as the administrative, commercial, and financial areas. A large population pool may become a potential carrier for disease transmission to become an epidemic. However, the impact of population density on the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia is still unknown and undiscovered. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of population density on COVID-19 as a potential virus transmission carrier using linear regression models. The chances of formulating new strategies for combating COVID-19 are higher when the driver of transmission potential is identified. This study shows that the highest value of infected area density is in Kota Bharu (0.76), while the infected risk area was highest in Jeli (0.33). This study found that there is a strong relationship between COVID-19 infection cases in Kelantan and population density (R2 which is 0.845). Therefore, high population density was identified as a potential driver of transmission of COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding the potential drivers of the disease in a local setting is very important for better preparation and management. The outcome of the study can aid in the development of a new analytical model for strategic planning of Zero COVID-19 for securing the public health and wellness, both social and economic, by researchers, scientists, planners, resource managers, and decision-makers