Various scientific evidences worldwide have demonstrated the impacts of climate change. It is speculated to be harsher on the marginal communities who inhabit some of the biologically rich but ecologically fragile coastal areas and who are dependent on their resources for their livelihoods. Mangrove, salt marsh and seagrass ecosystems are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, including South Asia and Southeast Asian countries. However, climate change stresses on their ecosystems are the least studied in these regions. They are the source of livelihoods of a third of the region’s population since these ecosystems provide shelter, food and habitat for economically important fisheries, and control coastal erosion that helps to increase marine productivity via reducing coastal suspended pollutants. More recent research findings suggest that they are an effective line of defense against the impacts of climate change. However, due to the shallow (<10 m) existence of these resources in the inter-tidal and sub-tidal areas, these two ecosystems are being affected by rising sea level and increasing temperature, and CO2 levels.

The workshop will explore how these climate change variables and their impacts, will affect on the sustainability of the goods and services of coastal communities derived from salt marsh and seagrass ecosystems in South and South East Asian Coasts (Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Viet Nam), will be discussed.

For more information:

Dr. Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal (Project Leader)
Department of Animal Science and Fishery
Universiti Putra Malaysia Campus Bintulu Sarawak
Nyabau Road, Post Box No. 396, 97008 Bintulu
Sarawak, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]

Project metadata:www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1758