The community structure of macroalgae in a low shore mangrove forest in Selangor, Malaysia

The macroalgal communities associated with pneumatophores, basal area of tree trunks and sediment surface in the mangrove forest at Sementa, Selangor consisted of nine main species. Biomass, frequency of occurrence and relative cover of the species along a belt transect, showed two major trends, a decrease in these parameters in the landward direction for Colpomenia sp. Gracilaria blodgettii and Gracilaria crassa and an increase in the landward direction for Dictyota dichotoma, Catenella nipae, Rhizoclonium sp. and Bostrichia radicans. Algal dominance varied with substratum. Pneumatophores were dominated by Caloglossa lepreurii and sediment surface by D. dichotoma. The 40 cm zone at the base of tree trunks was dominated by two algal species. The 0–20 cm region above the sediment surface was colonized by C. nipae, while the 20–40 cm region was dominated by Rhizoclonium sp. The study identified the importance of substrate in macroalgal colonization

Modelling Oil Palm's Sustainable Management and Practices: A Framework Based On Economic Principles

In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a focal area of cross-disciplinary inquiry and has tended to be problem-driven. These developments are supported by a number of economic theories that include the Neo- Malthusian theory, Kuznet’s Hypothesis and Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons. Two frameworks: theoretical and conceptual were created by assessing correlations based on the above mentioned economic theories. Study frameworks were designed and validated as “economy tools’ for quantitative analysis of variables that are deemed important for sustainable management. These frameworks were applied to the palm oil industry and its sustainability challenges. Stakeholders’ perceptions and their management were incorporated in the overall palm oil economic analysis for sustainability management. This paper discusses the various existing economic theories and how each of it relates to sustainability, and the development of sustainable palm oil industry. Two frameworks were designed: the theoretical framework capturing the analysis of the existing economic theories and their relevance to sustainability and the palm oil industry. In the second framework, a conceptual design was developed as a tool depicting linkages to all important parameters that required evaluation, when measuring sustainability. Overall, despite these framework developments and their application, we conclude that sustainability and existing economic theories do not completely resolve the issue of sustainable production with regards to land management or sustainable land development in the agricultural sector