Living Land

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Logging decks, where the soil is more compact, are areas

where rehabilitation is often difficult. Based on research

findings, using larger sized plants, bigger planting holes

and slow release fertilizers has enhanced the rehabilitation

of such areas.

Outside the forest reserves, open areas are also being

rehabilitated. A good example of badly degraded areas that

have been rehabilitated can be seen in the forests within

the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) campus.

Planting on the campus, which was originally a tin mining

and agricultural area, began in the 1920s. Today the area has

fully regenerated into a healthy and highly stocked forest

with rich biodiversity. The mean volume of timber is esti-

mated to be close to 400 m

/ha which is twice that of a rich

natural forest. Biomass has been estimated to be in excess

of 450 tons/ha.

Rehabilitation of degraded coastal mangroves

Mangrove forests are one of the most productive and

biodiverse wetlands on Earth. They grow in unique condi-

tions and are frequently found along sheltered coastlines

in subtropical and tropical areas. The coastal forests play

a vital role in coastal protection, especially in reducing

coastal erosion and the impacts of storm surge (tsunami).

Mangrove forests represent an important ecosystem and

have been accorded high priority in maintaining protective

and productive functions along the coastline. These forests

also play a vital role in carbon sequestration and mitigat-

ing climate change. They are an important ecosystem for

carbon reservoirs known as carbon sinks, and an integral

part of the global biological system. As such, the implemen-

tation of coastal forest conservation and rehabilitation to

reduce forest degradation and deforestation and enhance

the carbon stock is a commitment under the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The total mangrove area in Malaysia is currently 575,000

hectares. The area was reduced from 695,000 in the

1970s to about 575,000 in 2005 due to land conversion

or reclamation for agriculture, aquaculture, urbanization,

infrastructure development and natural causes, mainly

coastal erosion. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

caused a catastrophic disaster in the coastal areas facing

the sea, the Government of Malaysia realized the critical

need to stabilize the country’s shoreline areas that could

potentially be affected by tsunamis in the future. This could

be achieved through conserving the existing mangrove

forests and rehabilitating the degraded coastal mangroves.

To undertake this, a National Task Force Committee

on Planting Mangroves and Other Suitable Species on

Shorelines of the Country was formed on 7 February 2005

by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The

main objective of the task force was to monitor the progress

and implementation of planting programmes throughout

the country’s coastal regions. The national task force was

supported by two technical committees: Planning and

Implementation (PPTC) and Research and Development

(RDTC). These two committees are working in parallel to

ensure the success of the planting programmes. The PPTC,

which is headed by the Forestry Department of Peninsular

Malaysia, aims to conduct coastal stabilization through

planting in sheltered areas that have a low risk of coastal

erosion. The RDTC, which is headed by FRIM, was given

the task to carry out research and development related to

mangrove forest conservation and rehabilitation. One of

the activities under the RDTC was focused on ensuring

a high rate of survival of mangrove seedlings planted in

coastal mudflats which are classified as highly eroded with

strong wave actions.

The mudflats of mangroves are still unstable environ-

ments for natural succession to take place due to active

erosion and accretion occurring within the areas. To facili-

tate the stabilization of coastal mudflats prior to innovative

techniques of mangrove planting, ‘soft engineering’ tech-

niques were applied whereby partially submerged woven

geo-textile tube (geotube) sand-filled breakwaters were

constructed. Four geotubes, each 1.8 m high, 3.7 m wide

and 50 m long were successfully constructed in July 2007

at the beach of D’ Muara Marine Park Resort in Sungai Haji

Dorani, Sungai Besar, Selangor. The design and placement

of the geotubes as breakwaters took into account the height

of the incident waves, depth, tidal range and site conditions

(soil profiles).

The geotube breakwaters constructed at the beach of D’ Muara Marine Park Resort (before planting)

Image: FRIM

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