| مستخلص: |
In Malaysia, unlike other types of forests which are more widespread throughout, the mangrove swamp forests are restricted to the sheltered coasts, islands, estuaries and lower reaches of rivers. It is an important habitat for various terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, including fishes, birds and shells and specialised plant forms including algae, mosses, ferns and seed plants. The mangrove swamp forest of the Langkawi Archipelago alone is home for more than 41 exclusive, 65 non-exclusive and 13 mangrove associates species. As the forests have been degraded, many of them which are endemic, rare, vulnerable, threatened or otherwise are in great perils. It is also of great socio-economic importance as a hydrological regulator, playing a role in flood mitigation, buffering against saline intrusion and even large waves. It is also important for fuel wood, timber resources, and provide a variety of produces used by local inhabitants. Despite these values, mangrove swamp forests are rapidly being cleared for other land-uses, especially agriculture and aquaculture. In view of the recognized values, it is urgent that more suitable mangrove swamp areas are protected for biodiversity conservation purposes. A working plan for the Matang mangrove forest reserve, Perak (Sixth revision) provides a comprehensive overview towards the management and conservation of mangrove ecosystem in Malaysia. In the long term, systematic holistic planning represents the best means of achieving sustainable forest management in mangrove ecosystem incorporating physical and biodiversity conservation and forestry objectives. There are many publications (books and papers in journals) on Malaysian mangroves and currently there is a need for the establishment of Malaysia Mangrove Research Centre, a one-stop centre to house the biodiversity reference collections and also literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
