Management Of Shipborne Garbage In Compliance To Marpol 73/78 Annex V

The large number of vessels en route within Malaysia Territorial Water through Malacca Straits has introduced pressures on the marine environment, particularly from shipborne garbage. Thus, this study adopted a standard method of beach marine debris survey and shipborne garbage survey to assess the types, amount, categories and sources of debris at five public beaches during monsoon seasons and 115 vessels were selected en route through Malacca Straits at five ports in Malaysia. The mean total beach debris item collected was 961 item/km and categorized during marine debris surveys between October 2012 and August 2014. Debris accumulation was more abundant during SWM, while, plastic category (88.48%) dominating debris items collected at this study. As for shipborne garbage survey, the mean total shipborne garbage item and weight collected was 182 item/vessel and categorized on the vessels between October 2012 and October 2014. Shipborne garbage abundance is influenced by number of crews, vessels’ gross tonnage and ship type. This study found, vessel visiting Malaysian ports observed the MARPOL 73/78 Annex V requirements, however, identified objects from shipping activity (1.3%; 2 items/km) found on the beaches indicates there are vessels discharging garbage illegally at sea. Therefore, promulgating awareness and educate the general public on pathway of marine debris needs to be collaborated with public participation to instill consciousness through environmental education. This effort may be small but the impact as a result of this action will reduce the amount waste dispose of at sea tremendously

MARINE DEBRIS ON SELECTED PUBLIC BEACHES IN MALAYSIA DURING DIFFERENT MONSOON SEASONS

Abstract: Marine debris including persistent plastics are widely distributed at the surface and coastal area of the global oceans, but many uncertainties remain about their specific sources, quantities and distribution. Although awareness of the plastic pollution problem has grown in Malaysia, comprehensive studies have not been extensive to document its pollution. This study was designed to assess the amount and distribution of marine debris on eight sandy public beaches in Malaysia. A standard method of beach marine debris survey has been adopted in this study to assess the type and amount of debris on a 1 km section of each beach during the northeast monsoon (NEM), southwest monsoon (SWM) and intermediate monsoon (IM) seasons. Marine debris items were collected and categorized during surveys of the beaches in October/November 2012, May 2013 and July/August 2013. A total of 17,299 items of debris weighing 863 kilograms were collected during the survey period. Kosuhoi (1,205 item/km or 57 kg/km), Tg. Aru (1,077 item/km or 47 kg/km) and Batu Rakit (761 item/km or 39 kg/km) received substantially greater quantities of debris compared to Saujana (684 item/km or 36 kg/km), Pasir Pandak (653 item/km or 27 kg/km), Temasyah (501 item/km or 33 kg/km), Pandan (453 item/km or 27 kg/km) and Tg. Lobang (433 item/km or 23 kg/km) beaches. Plastic category items were the most numerous amounting to 15,080 items (87.17%) followed by timber, rubber, metal, glass and cloth categories contributed 2,219 items (12.83%) in total debris item. Clear plastic bottles and fragments of plastic objects were the most abundant objects collected which contributed 4,706 items (27.20%) from the total item collected in this study. Objects associated directly with marine source were 20.46% whereas those from terrestrial and common sources amounted to 24.52% and 55.02% respectively. Debris was more abundant during SWM (7,383 items) compared to NEM (6,519 items) and IM (3,397 items) seasons

Seasonal trends in abundance and composition of marine debris in selected public beaches in Peninsular Malaysia

The abundance and composition of marine debris were investigated at Saujana (in the state of Negeri Sembilan) and Batu Rakit (in the state of Terengganu) beaches during surveys conducted in December 2012 (northeast monsoon), May 2013 (intermediate monsoon) and July 2013 (southwest monsoon). A total of 4,682 items of debris weighing 231.4 kg were collected and sorted. Batu Rakit received substantially greater quantities of debris (815±717 items/km or 40.4±13.0 kg/km) compared to Saujana (745±444 items/km or 36.7±18.0 kg/km). Total debris item was more abundant during the southwest monsoon (SWM) (1,122±737 items/km) compared to the northeast monsoon (NEM) (825±593 items/ km) and the intermediate monsoon (IM) (394±4 items/km) seasons. Plastic category (88%) was the most numerous items collected and object items contributed 44.18% includes packaging, plastic fragments, cups, plastic shopping bags, plastic food wrapper, clear plastic bottles from the total debris items collected. Object items associated with common source (47%) were the highest debris accumulated, followed by terrestrial (30%) and marine (23%) sources. The high percentage of common and terrestrial sources during SWM season requires immediate action by marine environment stakeholders to develop and introduce strategies to reduce if not totally eliminates the marine debris in the marine environment. Awareness should be continued and focused on beach users and vessels' crew to alert them on the alarming accumulation rate of marine debris and its pathways into the marine environment

Type and Quantity Of Marine Debris At Selected Public Beaches In Sabah (Tg. Aru & Kosuhoi) During Different Monsoon Seasons

Marine debris is widely distributed at the coastal area of the global oceans, but their specific sources, quantities and distribution remains inconclusive. Although the threat from marine debris pollution has beginning to be recognized in Malaysia, comprehensive studies are still lacking to document the pollution. This study adopted a standard method of beach marine debris survey to assess the type, amount and sources of debris on a one kilometer section in Tg. Aru and Kosuhoi beaches, Sabah, during surveys in December 2012 (northeast monsoon, NEM), May 2013 (intermediate monsoon, IM) and July 2013 (southwest monsoon, SWM). The mean total debris items was 1,220±532 item/km and weighing at 52.8±17.2 kg/km, where, Kosuhoi beach (1,241 item/km or 57 kg/km) received substantially greater quantities of debris compared to Tg. Aru beach (1,199 item/km or 48 kg/km). Total debris item was more abundant during SWM (1,789 item/km) compared to NEM (1,139 item/km) and IM (733 item/km) seasons. Plastic category items were the most numerous amounting to 1,057 item/km (86.64%) in total debris item. Clear plastic bottles, food wrappers, plastic fragments, coloured plastic bottles and cups were the most abundant objects collected which they contributed 606 item/km (49.69%) from the total item collected. The main source of debris items abundance was from common source which contributed 52% from the total debris items, whereas, those from terrestrial and marine sources contributed 32% and 16% respectively. The high percentage of terrestrial and common sources debris requires marine environment stakeholders to diversify their approach and priority in mitigating this alarming result especially during SWM period. Awareness program is an effective preventive measure that should be continued and intensified. However, the program should focus on target group to ensure the awareness effectiveness to reduce if not totally eliminate the debris in the marine environment

Managing mangrove forests from the sky: Forest inventory using field data and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery in the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, peninsular Malaysia

Retrieval of biophysical properties of mangrove vegetation (e.g. height and above ground biomass) has typically relied upon traditional forest inventory data collection methods. Recently, the availability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) with different types of sensors and capabilities has proliferated, opening the possibility to expand the methods to retrieve biophysical properties of vegetation. Focusing on the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Perak Province, Malaysia, this study aimed to investigate the use of UAV imagery for retrieving structural information on mangroves. We focused on a structurally complex 90-year-old protective forest zone and a simpler 15-year-old productive forest zone that had been silviculturally managed for charcoal production. The UAV data were acquired in June 2016. In the productive zone, the median tree stand heights retrieved from the UAV and field data were, respectively, 13.7 m and 14 m (no significant difference, p-value =.375). In the protective zone, the median tree stand heights retrieved from the UAV and field data were, respectively, 25.8 and 16.5 m (significant difference, p-value =.0001) taking into account only the upper canopy. The above ground biomass (AGB) in the productive zone was estimated at 217 Mg ha−1 using UAV data and 238 Mg ha−1 using ground inventory data. In the protective zone, the AGB was estimated at 210 Mg ha−1 using UAV data and 143 Mg ha−1 using ground inventory data, taking into account only upper canopy trees in both estimations. These observations suggested that UAV data were most useful for retrieving canopy height and biomass from forests that were relatively homogeneous and with a single dominant layer. A set of guidelines for enabling the use of UAV data for local management is presented, including suggestions as to how to use these data in combination with field observations to support management activities. This approach would be applicable in other regions where mangroves occur, particularly as these are environments that are often remote, inaccessible or difficult to work in.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Mapping discourses using Q methodology in Matang Mangrove Forest, Malaysia

The sustainable management of natural resources requires the consideration of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives and knowledge claims, in order to inform complex and possibly contentious decision-making dilemmas. Hence, a better understanding of why people in particular contexts do manage natural resources in a particular way is needed. Focusing on mangroves, highly productive tropical intertidal forests, this study's first aim is to map the diversity of subjective viewpoints among a range of stakeholders on the management of Matang Mangrove Forest in peninsular Malaysia. Secondly, this study aims to feed the reflection on the possible consequences of the diversity of perspectives for the future management of mangroves in Malaysia and beyond. The use of the semi-quantitative Q methodology allowed us to identify three main discourses on mangrove management: i. the optimization discourse, stressing the need to improve the current overall satisfactory management regime; ii. the ’change for the better’ discourse, which focuses on increasingly participatory management and on ecotourism; and iii. the conservative ‘business as usual’ discourse. The existence of common points of connection between the discourses and their respective supporters provides opportunities for modifications of mangrove management regimes. Acknowledging this diversity of viewpoints, reflecting how different stakeholders see and talk about mangrove management, highlights the need to develop pro-active and resilient natural resource management approaches.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe