o_19ko2dt161ng2j4e1tgnoqv1s45a.pdf

PHANG et al (2007)
programmes to enlist public assistance in the protection of natural resources. An Environmental
Education Curriculum should be introduced to schools to inculcate awareness in the younger
population.
Strategies for the protection of seaweeds and other natural resources include the establishment
of a National Biodiversity Directorate, National Ocean Council, National Biodiversity Database
and more Marine Protected Areas. The practice of sustainable fisheries, sustainable mariculture
and the control of invasive alien species must be enforced. Integrated marine and coastal area
management should be practiced. Alternative livelihoods could be introduced for poverty
alleviation in coastal communities. There should be increased funding for research in areas of
distribution, abundance and ecology of seaweed resources, thus enabling the proper assessment
of the sustainability of the seaweed resources in Malaysia.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The last two decades have seen an increase in seaweeds as a potential economic resource in
the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia. Two genera, Eucheuma (Kappaphycus) and
Gracilaria were targeted for development in Malaysia. However Gracilaria cultivation has
not gone beyond the experimental stage. Eucheuma culture in Sabah continues with the fishing
community around Semporna and has spread to the Kudat area through initiatives from the
state government. These resources cannot meet the demands of the three carrageenan factories.
Gracilaria on the other hand does not demand clean waters as Eucheuma, and should in fact
grow well in Peninsular Malaysian waters. Agar processing requires simpler technology than
carrageenan, and in fact has a high domestic demand (Jahara & Phang 1990). Of the other
seaweeds, Caulerpa species are easy to culture but would require good marketing to sell its
use as a delicacy in restaurants. Acanthophora, Gracilaria and Hypnea can be grown as feed
for abalone.
The inventory of Malaysian seaweeds continues. Presently 386 taxa are recorded. Many
scientifically interesting as well as commercially important species have been identified.
Ecological information is scarce. Biomass assessments of natural seaweed areas, productivity
determination and phenological studies of important species, should be encouraged. Only
then can the status of the seaweed flora of Malaysia be assessed, and threatened species and
habitats identified. The use of new approaches like molecular taxonomy should be encouraged
to enhance species identification and possibly provide a fingerprinting technique to monitor
and prevent biodiversity loss.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledgements are due to Professor Michio Masuda, University of Hokkaido, whose
expertise made a worthy checklist possible, Professors Shigeru Kawaguchi, Tetsuro Ajisaka,
K. Kogame, Misni Surif and all the expedition members, especially my students Wong Ching
Lee, Melor Ismail and Murugadas T. Loganathan, who contributed towards the wonderful
collections. We are grateful to the Fisheries Departments, Marine Parks and Fisheries Research
Institutes, throughout the Malaysian states, which have always been very generous with their
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