scholarly journals AN ASSESSMENT OF TOURIST KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS LEVEL TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT IN TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PARK, MALAYSIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Nasrulhakim Maidin ◽  
B. Mabel Manjaji-Matsumoto ◽  
M. Rafiee Asdari

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP) is the first Marine Protected Area gazetted in Sabah, Malaysia in 1974. It is also one of the most famous tourist destinations in Sabah which experiences a high anthropogenic disturbance that could create major damage in the long run if not properly managed. TARP has been flooded by tourists receiving more than 500,000  tourists in 2018 and 2019. It is clear that tourism activity in TARP is one of the major contributions to anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, it is essential for tourists to have a high level of awareness to conduct sustainable and eco-friendly tourism activity. In this study, we assessed the level of awareness and knowledge of the marine environment among tourists in TARP. Briefings by tour guides or companies were also assessed. Overall, results showed a low awareness level among tourists in TARP. This is somehow related to the fact that the briefing score by tour companies was low and only focused on promoting their company. TARP authority should implement a standard 5-minute video on the marine environment and assign more signage on the island in an effort to raise awareness among tourists.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 480
Author(s):  
GABRIELLA LA MANNA ◽  
IVAN GUALA ◽  
DANIELE GRECH ◽  
FRANCESCO PERRETTI ◽  
FABIO RONCHETTI ◽  
...  

Accurate, rapid and cost-effective fish assemblage monitoring is fundamental for marine protected area (MPA) management as a pivotal tool to verify whether and to what extent MPA conservation objectives have been achieved and to redefine these objectives in the framework of an adaptive management. Recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of video-based methods to study fish fauna, such as baited remote underwater video (BRUV) systems, that, depending on the objectives of the monitoring, can provide complementary or additional data to the more commonly used underwater visual census (UVC). Even though BRUV systems have been widely used in a wide range of geographic contexts and habitats, their use in the Mediterranean basin is still sporadic and the evaluation of the efficiency of BRUV systems and whether they can be used to complement other techniques needs investigation. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the performance of a BRUV system in a Mediterranean MPA and to evaluate its effectiveness in assessing the structure of fish assemblages (abundance and species richness) by comparing estimates with those obtained by the UVC technique. The fish fauna were monitored by BRUV and UVC in the Capo Caccia – Isola Piana Marine Protected Area (Sardinia, Italy), in July and October-November 2020, at four sampling sites and two areas, hundreds of meters apart, for each site. Overall, 46 taxa and a total of 3620 individuals were observed by BRUV, while 36 taxa and a total of 2995 individuals were observed by UVC. The species first observed in front of the camera’s field of view and able to reach the maximum abundance were the planktivores (Chromis chromis and Oblada melanura) followed by several carnivorous species belonging to the families Labridae, Serranidae and Sparidae, and lastly two carnivores (Mullus surmuletus and Mugilidae spp.) and some high-level predators (Dentex dentex, Seriola dumerili, Sphyraena viridensis, Dicentrarchus labrax). The maximum species richness and abundance were reached between 39 and 50 min. The cumulative species richness increased until around 30 min. Species richness was higher during the BRUV compared to the UVC monitoring. The consistency in findings between BRUV and UVC and a better performance of BRUV in detecting some species (mainly high-level predators), supports BRUV as an additional technique for describing and quantifying species richness and abundance also in the Mediterranean Sea. Based on the results of this study, the advantages/disadvantages, shortcomings, suggestions and resources needed for the two techniques are outlined.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (19) ◽  
pp. 7859-7871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaaki Sato ◽  
Kentaro Honda ◽  
Wilfredo H. Uy ◽  
Darwin I. Baslot ◽  
Tom G. Genovia ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Abigail Mary Moore ◽  
Samliok Ndobe ◽  
Jamaluddin Jompa

The endemic Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is an Indonesian conservation priority with Endangered species. The goal of this research was to develop a site-based conservation concept appropriate from a bio-ecological viewpoint, based on the unusual characteristics of this species, in particular: (i) mouthbrooder with direct development, leading to reproductively isolated stocks and fine scale genetic structure; (ii) high level of reliance on habitat, in particular symbiosis with benthic animals providing protective micro-habitat. Methods used include review and analysis of published literature and unpublished data, including an analysis using the Marxan spatial planning software. We suggest several policy options and identify research needs, including: (i) base P. kauderni conservation (protection, rehabilitation and sustainable use) on stocks as the basic management unit; (ii) use data on P. kauderni genetic stocks in the zonation of the proposed Banggai Archipelago marine protected area (MPA); (iii) undertake further research to identify stocks/stock boundaries; (iv) apply the "BCF gardens" concept to fine-scale rebuilding of P. kauderni populations and enabling sustainable use through micro-habitat rehabilitation, with a community-based approach supported by a multi-phase scientific research program. The outputs from this study should support efforts towards sustainable management of the Banggai cardinalfish, particularly in the context of strategies to develop and manage an effective sub-national MPA. Keywords genetic stock; habitat/micro-habitat rehabilitation; community-based conservation; marine protected area; Marxan


2014 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
pp. 175-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Sturaro ◽  
G Lepoint ◽  
A Pérez-Perera ◽  
S Vermeulen ◽  
P Panzalis ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
TL Silva ◽  
G Fay ◽  
TA Mooney ◽  
J Robbins ◽  
MT Weinrich ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirin Apps ◽  
Kay Dimmock ◽  
David J. Lloyd ◽  
Charlie Huveneers

Author(s):  
Blanco Andreu ◽  
Beger Maria ◽  
Planes Serge ◽  
Miller Mark ◽  
Olabarria Celia

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