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Research Themes
CMER has over the years
addressed a number of key thematic areas in marine environment management.
The emphasis over the past years has been to gain an understanding of the
issues involved in marine environment management. This involves collecting
basic information on the status of resources, ecosystems, biological
diversity and level of pollution and establishing working relationships with
relevant governmental and non-governmental organisation including the
private sector. With most of the work in this area completed, CMER hopes to
add another research area to its work: identification and assessment of
tools for the management and protection of the marine environment. In
addition CMER is also looking to update the information it has collected
over the past seven year. This will be done through the preparation of a
state of the marine environment report. It should be noted that there are
linkages between the thematic areas and many research projects fall under
more than one theme.
1. Tools for environmental management
One of CMER's primary research areas for the immediate future is the examination of a wide-range of tools for environmental management. The objective of this exercise is to help identify and assess policy instruments which could be used to alleviate environmental problems by facilitating compliance with environmental laws and encouraging inter-sectoral cooperation. Among the tools which have and will be examined are integrated coastal zone management, community-based fisheries management and the limits of acceptable change (LAC) framework for management of marine protected areas. Specific projects under this thematic area include:
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Review of coastal zone management efforts in Malaysia
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Implementation of the LAC framework in marine park management in Malaysia
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Marine pollution prevention in Malaysia - finding the right tools
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Community-based fisheries management
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2. Sustainable utilisation of marine living resources
CMER's work in this field involves looking at both capture fisheries and mariculture. This is with a view to assist in alleviating the pressure on capture fisheries especially from coastal areas by examining the future role of mariculture as an alternative to capture fisheries and issues related to the growth of this industry. In addition this thematic area will also address problems such as the use of destructive fishing methods in some parts of the country. The activities under this thematic area include the organisation of a series of conferences on the future of mariculture industry in Malaysia. In addition CMER in cooperation with the Centre for Ocean Law and Policy is assisting the Malaysian Department of Fisheries in reviewing the draft legislation on high seas fisheries, widely seen as another alternative to coastal and near water fisheries. |
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Specific projects included in this area are: |
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Development of hatchery and propagation technology in mariculture
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Issues in mariculture development in Malaysia
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Use of destructive fishing methods in Malaysia - status and issues
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Prevention of marine pollution
This is a long running CMER thematic programme and the centre has in the past focussed on marine pollution from land-based sources. To complement this activity CMER has initiated a number of activities to examine the problem of vessel-based marine pollution. This is in light of the increasing problems with operational discharges in Malaysian waters. Two focus areas have been identified to address the present situation and anticipate future problems from vessel-based pollution. First CMER has examined the management of ballast water discharges in Malaysia. Secondly CMER will be examining the mechanisms for enforcing pollution prevention or pollution control regulation in Malaysia's seas. A number of projects have been identified under this thematic area and they include:
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Management of ballast water discharges in Malaysia
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Marine pollution prevention in Malaysia - finding the right tools
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4. Conservation of marine ecosystems
CMER will continue to monitor the state of Malaysia's marine ecosystems through the preparation of the state of the marine environment report. However due to limited resources no projects have been planned under this thematic area except to update a 1995 report on the State of Conservation of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in Malaysia.
5. State of the Marine Environment Reporting
This is a major undertaking proposed by CMER to address the information gap on the state of Malaysia's marine environment and to provide an additional tool for managing Malaysia's marine environment. This exercise would include the publication and periodic updating of a State of the Marine Environment Report for Malaysia and involves the participation of a wide range of interested parties including government agencies, academia and non-governmental organisations. The basis for the preparation of the report is a series of technical papers on the status of ecosystems and resources, level of pollution, physical, biological and chemical characteristics of Malaysia's sea area and matters related to Malaysia's marine environment. A series of workshops and conferences are planned as part of the initiation phase of the project. Besides information providing CMER hopes that this initiative would also raise the level of public awareness on marine environment issues. |
