Monitoring and Assessment for The Adaptation and Rehabilitation of Sungai Pulai Estuary Seagrass Ecosystem, Johor

Funding Agency : Country Garden Pacificview Sdn. Bhd.

This five-year monitoring program (2015-2020) coordinated by Prof. Dr. Aziz  Arshad, Universiti Putra Malaysia was sponsored by the Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd to assist in the monitoring and rehabilitation of the seagrass ecosystem in Sungai Pulai estuary, Johor, within 5 km radius of Forest City Project. In 2020, the program comprised five projects; (i) Monitoring of seagrass species, coverage and adaptability to stressors under the Faculty of Science, UPM, (ii) Seagrass transplanting and rehabilitation (assisted recovery) led by Prof. Dr. Muta Harah Zakaria, (iii) Benthic invertebrates and macrobenthos diversity, abundance and periodical variations during different phases of reclamation headed by Dr. Nur Leena Wong Wai Sin.

View of the seagrass ecosystem during the low tide

Included are also two ancillary projects (iv) Restocking and sustainable fisheries management in seagrass ecosystem through community participation using eco-friendly light trap method led by Associate Professor Dr. S.M. Nurul Amin and, (v) Investigation of zooplankton biodiversity as bioindicator of health status of Merambong seagrass ecosystems at different phases of reclamation under the coordination of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. The series of monitoring provided the information on  changes and adaptation of flora and fauna in the seagrass ecosystems.

Seagrass ecosystem is an important habitat for various invertebrates such as mollusc. Shown above is a juvenile of noble volute, Cymbiola nobilis (locally known as kilah)

Simultaneously, the rehabilitation success or failure conducted to assist the recovery of seagrass vegetation, and the associated biota is being documented. The biological communities' background knowledge is essential when one deals with the effect caused by reclamation or dredging activities on the sea.

Sea stars, like other invertebrates, are dependent on seagrass as their suitable habitat for their population growth. Shown above is Protoreaster nodosus, commonly known as horned sea star or chocolate chip sea star (locally known simply as tapak Sulaiman)

Updated:: 10/04/2020 [m_fakhrulddin]