Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering

NATURE
CONSERVATION
BFC 10202
Part C5 : Conservation :
Principles and Practices

C5 : Conservation : principles
and practices - objectives

To be introduced to the principles of

conservation
To understand the practices in
conservation
Know few examples of conservation
efforts in Malaysia

Topics

I : Conservation : Concept and principles

II : Conservation practices : in situ and ex-situ
III : Examples of ecosystem conservation
a. Forest ecosystem management
(lowland/highland)
b. Marine ecosystem management
c. Freshwater/wetlands ecosystem
management
d. Other ecosystem management

I : CONSERVATION :
CONCEPT & PRINCIPLES

Concept of CONSERVATION

How does conservation comes about

Why conservation important to the world

Why conservation important to Malaysia

Who is responsible for conservation

Sustainable development

Practical examples of successful conservation effort

Principles guiding conservation

Concept of Conservation

1. Rehabilitation eg degraded environment

2. Protection eg through legislation
3. Sustainable use eg cut & replant forest
Conservation of natural Environment, natural
resources (biodiversity)
Conservation/preservation of built environment eg
old building, graveyards

Bako - Sarawak

How does conservation comes about

The need to maintain a good environment for people to live

safely and happily/healthy

History :

America : land use by black American worries the white

American government

Europe : private land for sport / hunting affected

Malaysia : following the global trends and awareness about

pollution, conversion of land uses

Why is conservation important to the

world

Sharing of one planet EARTH

Pollution and other environmental problem do not know

political boundary

Rapid and effective communication make the world smaller

spread of diseases

Distribution of wealth among global community hungry

people are angry people

Use of resources among biodiversity rich countries wise?

PEACE ON EARTH

Why is conservation important to

Malaysia

Sustainable development Socio-economic

development of people

Sharing with global community of Malaysian nature

Biodiversity (including ecosystem) conservation is

critical as last bargaining power for Malaysia

Sustainable development

The use of natural resources in a manner that will not

affect the opportunity for the future generation to
develop using the same natural resources

Concept :
Continuity in development
Intergenerational aspects

Who is responsible for conservation

EVERYONE

Government decision-makers
NGOs
Private sectors
Scientists
People

CHALLENGES culture and belief, age, level of knowledge,

human behavior

Practical examples of successful

conservation in Malaysia

JOHOR :
Endau Rompin
Ramsar Sites Tg : Piai, Kukup,
SABAH
Maliau Basin
Danum Valley
Ramsar Sites Segama/Kinabatangan
Gn. Kinabalu

Principles guiding conservation

P1 : Changes are evolutionary

P2 : Ecology is dynamic

P3 : The presence of mankind

P1 : Changes are evolutionary

Naturally changes happen very slowly

Do not expect to see negative effect of human

activities to environment immediately

Although it may look as if there is no effect IT IS

HAPPENING VERY SLOWLY

P2 : Ecology is dynamic

Every things depend on others interdependency

Affecting one component will eventually affect

another along the line

Eg: using pesticides to kill pest (that may also kill

other beneficial organisms eg spiders) will results
in explosion of population of other pests principle
of interdependency

P3 : The presence of mankind

Human activities that degrade environment will

eventually affect human welfare
When we do conservation we are thinking of people

II. CONSERVATION PRACTICES

When one wants to practice conservation one asks

oneself three questions:

1. What do we want to conserve?

2. Why do we need to conserve them?

3. How do we conserve them?

Three questions to ask

when doing conservation

1. What do we want to conserve?

2. Why do we need to conserve them?

3. How do we conserve them?

What do we want to
conserve?

Biotic (living) or abiotic (non-living) factors?

Biotic which level : genetic or species or ecosystem?
Size, morphology
Characteristics and behaviour (preferences)
Interactions : biotic (+man) and abiotic factors in the
shared environment or external environment

Why do we need to conserve

it?

Are they important to man?

How are they important?
Utilitarian, services, ecological processes
Cultural, belief or religious

How do we conserve it?

Very much depend on what to conserve and why do need to

conserve

Biotic component : ex-situ & in-situ

Need conservation plan Management plan

Monitoring

Cultural, political and economic influences

The roles of public awareness and education

Depend much on literacy level of people

Basically conservation is done

:

In-situ

conservation
Ex-situ conservation

In-situ conservation

Definition : conserving in its site of origin

Principle : having the same environment

make conservation easier and better and
encompassing other factors

Examples : national parks/state parks

Conservation in practice in situ

Normally ecosystem/habitat conservation

Conservation carried at/in its original/ natural location

Examples : lowland forest (Danum Valley, Endau Rompin),

wetlands (mangrove, peatswamp), highlands (Kinabalu,
Mulu), caves (Gua Madai, Gua Gomantong)

Bigger size, bigger and more problems

Eg. In-situ conservation Mt.

Kinabalu

Danum Valley

Lowland forest of Danum

Valley

Ex-situ conservation

Definition : Conservation carried out outside its site of

origin

Principles : removing from original site makes

conservation more difficult as environment may differ,
but could be manipulated to facilitate control of
various factors better then not conserving

Conservation in practice ex-situ

Normally species or genetic conservation

Conservation carried outside its natural/original location

Examples : plants-arboretum (Pasoh), fernarium UKM;

animals - zoos and wildlife sanctuaries (eg Sepilok orang
utan sanct.); gene/seed banks (MARDI, RRIM, PORIM)

Has its own set of problems eg : power generation,

human resources and expertise

6 items to consider when formulating

a management plan for any ecosystem

1. Types of ecosystems

2. Heterogeneity and dynamics

3. Size and shape

4. Association with other ecosystems

5. Previous natural history

6. Biotic, abiotic factors & ecological interactions

CI(1) : Types of ecosystems

Grassland? Forest? Lowland? Highland? Terrestrial?

Marine? Freshwater?

Different types of ecosystems have different living and

non-living components, and physical environment eg
temperature, humidity

CI(2) : Heterogeneity & dynamics

Different ecosystem have different living and nonliving components and thus different interactions

Homogeneous eg grassland mainly grasses few

interactions

Heterogeneous eg tropical lowland forest many diff

types of trees and animals

Mangrove less heterogenous than tropical rainforest

CI(3) : Size & shape

Small easier to manage than large

Round easier to manage than thin and long

perimeter length and core area size

CI(4) : Associations with other

ecosystems

Are there other kinds of ecosystem adjacent to the

ecosystem to be managed?

Are there other ecosystems within the ecosystem to

manage?

How is their associations?

CI(5) : Previous natural

history

Was the ecosystem to manage originally there or was

other type of ecosystem before?

CI(6) : Biotic, abiotic factors &

ecological interactions

What kind of living and nonliving components are

present in the ecosystems

How are the interactions between these components

Egs of ecosystem conservation

Mangrove : Larut Matang Mangrove Perak

Lowland forest : Endau Rompin Johor & Pahang
Heath forest : Maliau Basin - Sabah
Wetlands : RAMSAR Site in Johor, Sabah, Sarawak

4 basic principles in good

conservation management

1. Critical ecological processes & biodiversity composition

must be maintained

2. External threats must be minimized and external

advantages be maximized

3. Evolutionary processes must be conserved

4. Management plan should be adaptive and non-intrusive

P(1) : Critical ecological processes & biodiversity

composition must be maintained

The status of ecological balance in a site depends on

composition of living things and interactions between
them

Any disturbance to biodiversity composition or

ecological processes will tilt the ecological balance

Ecological processes egs : pollination,

decomposition, mating, interactions (parasitism,
mutualism etc)

Biodiversity composition : the proportions of

occurrence of groups of animals, plants or microbes

P(2) : External threats must be minimized

& external advantages be maximised

External threats threats outside the ecosystem to be

managed eg. Polluted river water flowing from outside
into forest (source of water for people or animals)

External advantages good factors outside ecosystem to

be managed eg. Patches of forested areas that may
contain some biodiversity

P(3) : Evolutionary processes must be

conserved

Evolutionary processes eg. Mating, pollination,

flowering, fruiting, pregnancy, giving birth, laying
eggs
Evolutionary processes ensure continuity of
flora/fauna/microbe to occur in ecosystem to be
managed

P(4) : Management plan should be

adaptive & non-intrusive

Several factors related to ecosystem to be managed could

change, thus management planned prepared must take
into consideration of the possible changes
Eg. Boundary (legislative changes), uses of ecosystem
(education, economic/ tourism etc),

III : EXAMPLES OF ECOSYSTEM

CONSERVATION

a. Forest ecosystem management (lowland/highland)

b. Marine ecosystem management
c. Freshwater/wetlands ecosystem management
d. Other ecosystems management

a. Forest

Characteristics of tropical rainforests

Where are they

Why are they special

Threats

Overcoming threats

Characteristics of Malaysian
tropical rainforest

Evergreen

Huge hardwood trees with valuable

timber

Lianas/climbers and epiphytes

Large buttresses

Where are they

Malaysia lowland Main Range, Taman

Negara, Endau Rompin, Sabah, Sarawak,
Heart of Borneo

Malaysia highlands : Main Range, Gn Stong

(Kelantan), Gn. Kinabalu (Sabah), Gn Mulu
(Sarawak), Gn Ledang (Johor)

Why are tropical rainforest

special

Green lung replenish oxygen

Carbon sink

Climate modifiers

Water sheds (supply water)

Gene banks / gene pools / biodiversity

NTFPs including tourism, medicines

NTFP food, handicrafts

NTFP - tourism

NTFP tourism attraction

NTFP - healthcare

NTFP traditional medication

Bird watching generate income

Biodiversity at canopy
generate income

Uses of forest
and
marine products

Craft from NTFP

NTFP tourism icon

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

TRADITIONAL MEDICATION

Threats to biodiversity

Deforestation & fragmentation

Forest fire

Degradation

Biodiversity loss/erosion/extinction

Loss of human livelihood

Loss of genetic pool

Deforestation

Forest fire

Tropical wind/storm

Water pollution

Overcoming threats

Education environmental education

Laws and enforcement

b. Mountains

Highland conservation

Importance

Characteristics

Where (Distribution)

Highland conservation

0-500m asl : lowland

500 750m asl : hills

750-1000m asl : lower montane

>1000 m asl : mountain

Mount Kinabalu

Mt Kinabalu ~ 4100 m asl

The Crocker Range Sabah

highest point 1100m asl

Importance of highlands

Highlands are climate modifiers wind breaker ,

facilitate precipitation and distribution of rainfalls

Watersheds

Specific environment for eg highland

vegetable/flowers/tea eg Cameron Highland

Tourism industry

Characteristics

Depend on rocks, soil that determine types of

vegetation

Granitic eg Main Range

Limestone eg Gn. Mulu

Where

P. Malaysia main range

Sabah Gn Kinabalu, Gn. Trus Madi

Crocker Range, Meligan range

Sarawak Lanjak Entimau, Similajau,

Gn Kinabalu

Ranau district, Sabah

73,370ha

State park managed by Sabah Parks

Over 4000 spp of vascular palnst, 1200 known orchids

600 ferns

Over 90 lowland mammals including sun bear and

pangolin, birds over 300 spp, 2900 spp butterflies

Threats clearing of land around park for road and

cultivation

Gn. Mulu - limestone

Miri division, Sarawak; 52,866ha

National park manged by National Park
Lowland mixed dipterocarp, lowland forest on
limestone, heath, caves
Flora over 3500 vascular plant spp, highlevel of
endemism, 425 pteridophyte, 109 palms, 8000 spp
fungi
Fauna over 67 mammals, 262 birds all 8 spp hornbills,
23 spp lizards, 25spp snakes, 74 frogs, 320 fish, 20000
invertebrates, 8000 beetles

Threats to gn. Mulu

Threats logging around perimeter, hunting pressure,

construction for roads and tourism facilities

Gn. Lanno, Perak

Quarrying

Tabin limestone, Sabah

Tabin limestone, Sabah

Gua Gomantong, Sabah

Swallows that provide birds nests

Threats to limestone caves and hills

Limestone quarrying

Unsustainable marble industry (excavation)

Guano, birds nest harvesting

Tourism

Acid rain

Forest fire

Not protected

Marine ecosystem

Local and eco-region approach

Sulu sea conservation

Single species conservation

Marine parks

Sustainable harvesting

Table 1: Fast facts of coastal and marine ecosystems in

Malaysia

Category

Length of coastline

Percent of population

Malaysia / World
9,323 /1,634,701km
98%/39%

within 100 km of the coast

Area of continental
Shelf

335,914/24,285,959

km

Source: EarthTrends Country Profile: Malaysia, 2003 (8).

Percent of Mangrove
forest protected
Number of Mangrove
Species
Number of Seagrass
Species
Number of Scleractinia
Coral Genera

7%

13%

36

70

58

72

na

Internat. Legal Net trade

130

na

in Live Coral

Number of Marine

111

3,636

or Littoral Protected Areas*

Wetlands of International

Importance*

384

730,116km2

Average annual

1,300,000 `84,000000mt

capture of marine fish

Average annual

188,000 12,100000mt

capture of mollusks and

crustaceans

Aquaculture prod

-uction of marine and

diadromous fish

12,8132,623,888mt

Aquaculture production

70,22410mill mt

of mollusks and crustaceans

Territorial sea

152,367/18,816,919km2

(up to 12 nautical miles)

Claimed Exclusive 98,173/102,108,403 km2

Economic Zone

Local and ecoregion approach

Conservation at local level eg. Coastal area of

Pontian, Senggarang, Tg Piai, Tg Labuh (Johor)

Ecoregion : Sulu-Sulawesi conservation project

South China Sea

Sulu sea conservation

Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines aggreed to conserve

the waters of Sulu Sea

Legislation and R&D activities

Conservation of special marine mammals eg

dugong, blue dolphin

Corals and other marine invertebrates

Threats to marine ecosystems

Pollution chemicals (eg oil spill), irradiation, solid

waste

SLR : Sea Level Rise (due to melting of ice global

warming

Heat of sea water killing small organisms (food chain

affected)

Bleaching of coral due to chemicals

Coastal erosion

Single species conservation

Eg. Dugong conservation

Marine Parks

Eg. Tg Abdul Rahman Parks (Sabah)

Pulau Tioman (Johor)

Pulau Langkawi Geo-Park

Sustainable harvesting

Fishing deep sea, using small meshed

net bad for sustainability

c. Fresh water and wetland

RAMSAR sites in Malaysia

Why is fresh water ecosystem important

Problems with freshwater ecosystems in

the world

Ramsar sites in Malaysia

SIX

Tasek Bera (the first)

Johor 3 : Tg Piai, Puli and Kukup Is.

Sabah Segama/Kinabatangan

(one is in the making KK Bird Santuary)

Sarawak Kuching National wetland

Why is freshwater ecosystem

important

Source of water for drinking, domestic

uses, industrial uses

Climate modifier

Hydrological system

Freshwater organisms its own ecology

Water for vegetation

Filtration system

Flood mitigation

Fresh water organism from

Sayong Pinang River

Problems with freshwater

ecosystem in the world

Pollution chemical and solid waste, human waste

Eutrophication (when aquatic plants infest)

Siltation

Drying up

Impregnation of salt water

Kinabatangan second longest

Pollution of water

EUTROPHICATION

Mangroves

What? Where?

Why are they important

Where are they

Examples Aceh, Sri Lanka during tsunami

of 2006 (27,000 people died)

What and where are mangroves

ecosystems in malaysia

Dominated by mangrove vegetations eg

Rhizophora spp, Brugea spp, Aviccenia
spp, sea shells, mangrove crabs, mud
skippers trees tolerant to salt water

Along coastal regions of peninsula

Malaysia (eg Larut Matang, Tg. Piai),
Sabah (Klias, Tuaran) and Sarawak

Why are mangrove important

Wave breaker
Nutrient rich
Root system provide security for young animals
Nursery
Source of water for drinking, domestic uses,
industrial uses
Climate modifier
Hydrological system
Freshwater organisms its own ecology
Water for vegetation
Filtration system
Flood mitigation

Biodiversity in mangrove
ecosystem - shells

Unique fauna - mudskipper

Migrants

Medicinal plants

Eg. Of usefulness tsunami in

Aceh

Asian tsunami Aceh 270,000 died

No wave breaker mangrove was

destroyed

Income generating

What have we leaned in C5

We have learned concept and principles of

conservation

In practice 2 types of conservation in situ and

ex situ concept, problems, examples

we learned examples of successful

conservation effort : marine, wetlands,
lowland forest, highland

Six issues in ecosystem conservation

Four basic principals in ecosystem

management