Acreage response of rice: A case study in Malaysia

This paper serves as preliminary study to investigate the relative impacts of various factors on acreage response of rice in Malaysia. The findings provide mixed signals which are different from other rice production countries. Hence, future studies are deemed essential to probe the issues with justifications by looking at the connection of Malaysian paddy production and economic theory, as well as implications to policymakers.Acreage response, rice, paddy

Indicators of governance of marine ecotourism resources: perception of communities in Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu

To be effective, the establishment of the Marine Protected Areas requires support from various stakeholders, which are directly or indirectly affected by the establishment. The support of relevant agencies to manage the Marine Protected Areas may depend on how the communities perceive the benefits of the establishment. The objective of this paper is to present the results of an analysis on the perception of local communities on the governance of the Marine Protected Areas by the relevant agencies. Data for the study were collected from members of the local communities on Pulau Perhentian using face-to-face interviews. The results show that most members of these communities were aware of the establishment of the Marine Protected Areas, though some were doubtful of the actual benefits of the establishment. Communities on Pulau Perhentian, which were directly dependent on the marine resources for their ecotourism-related businesses, were quite apprehensive of the ability of relevant agencies to act on reducing the encroachment of fishers in protected zones. Generally, the local communities agreed that the relevant agency were doing a good job of enforcing rules and regulations to protect the resources in the marine ecosystem. The cooperation among the stakeholders in adapting to the norms of governance was perceived as helpful in affecting the management of Marine Protected Areas

Economic impact of artificial reefs: a case study of small scale fishers in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

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

Community perspectives of governance for effective management of marine protected areas in Malaysia

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are useful tool for conserving biodiversity and managing fisheries. The government of Malaysia has established several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to enable overexploited marine resources to recover and to conserve coral reef ecosystems. The paper investigates the effect of governance approach on the effective management of two MPAs, Perhentian and Kapas marine parks in Terengganu State of Peninsular Malaysia. The data for this study was obtained from face-to-face interviews with local people from two MPAs using a structured questionnaire. The results of the analysis show that local participation in MPA management and fisheries regulations are significant factors for the effective MPA management in the study areas. The regression results show that users' participation has contributed significantly to the MPA governance, which indicate that local peoples' participation play an important role for effective management of MPAs in Malaysia. The MPA management activities should be coordinated with other relevant agencies and local users to achieve successful management of MPAs in Malaysia. There is a need to give priority to encourage local fishers' participation in decision making for MPAs management in the future marine resource conservation policy in Malaysia

Acreage response of rice: A case study in Malaysia

This paper serves as preliminary study to investigate the relative impacts of various factors on acreage response of rice in Malaysia. The findings provide mixed signals which are different from other rice production countries. Hence, future studies are deemed essential to probe the issues with justifications by looking at the connection of Malaysian paddy production and economic theory, as well as implications to policymakers

Acreage response of rice: A case study in Malaysia

This paper serves as preliminary study to investigate the relative impacts of various factors on acreage response of rice in Malaysia. The findings provide mixed signals which are different from other rice production countries. Hence, future studies are deemed essential to probe the issues with justifications by looking at the connection of Malaysian paddy production and economic theory, as well as implications to policymakers

Evaluation of artificial reefs in West Coast, Malaysia

The use of artificial reefs in Malaysia is relatively new and if properly constructed, artificial reefs (ARs) can enhance fish habitat and easier access to quality fishing grounds and improved quality of catch will benefit fishermen and coastal communities. The first ARs were built in year 1975 by Department of Fisheries Malaysia and now there are more than 250 ARs were built in Malaysia. This paper examines the economic return of artificial reefs on the fishermen and the industry in West Coast (states of Kedah, Perak and Melaka) of Peninsular Malaysia, which are to assess the influence of these ARs on the fisheries and the impact of income changes on the socioeconomics conditions of fisher-folk fishing at ARs. In the middle of 2007 and early 2008, a survey has been carried out to evaluate artificial reefs in the states within a period of 10 months (from April 2007 until January 2008) and with a sample size of 7 boats in Kedah, 20 boats in Perak and 7 boats in Melaka. To analyze the collected data, the descriptive analyses which have been applied are catch analysis, operation cost, profitability operation analysis and cost-benefit analysis have been done to describe the information of the quantity of catch, value of catch, cost of catch, profit and the income of the fishers. From the results, Perak has the highest fish landing which is 30,819.35 kg, followed by Melaka (11,252.23 kg) and Kedah (11,190.50 kg). The average incomes of the three states are between MYR100-MYR400 per month and the state that gained highest income is Kedah which is MYR405.79. The percentage of operation cost is referring to the difference between profit and the income of the fishermen. The overall findings suggest that the deployment of ARs is one of an effective way in helping the fishers’ income and their profitability