Report - Jabatan Taman Laut Malaysia - NRE

as most of the MP staff have limited technical and ecological knowledge, inparticular the monitoring process and the ecological functions of coral reefs.Engagement with transport providers and their passengersThe project design does not include any direct engagement with boat andairplane operators and their passengers. There are significant numbers ofboat operators from the mainland who carry large numbers of visitors to thethree island project sites. E.g. There are 2 major ferry operators, operatingfrom Mersing and Tanjung Leman that carrying majority of visitors to TiomanIsland. For Redang Island, there also major ferry operators from KualaTerengganu and significant number of small boat operators from Merangthat carrying the majority of visitors to the island. Berjaya Air operate flightsto both islands as well. This key stakeholder group has a direct impact andaccordingly should be included in the project for outreach activities. A planshould be put in place to raise the awareness of the boat and airlineoperators about coral reef ecosystem good management practise and inturn they actively inform their passengers. Such training could become arequirement of boat and airline operator licensing.Engagement of local scientistsAs the project has a significant capacity building components the projectshould allow for the engagement of local scientists with expertise in coralreef and marine conservation, monitoring, and with knowledge andexperience of local coral reef ecosystems and threats. This would help theDMPM to build relationships with key local scientists and help embed thevalue of scientific information to underpin robust Marine Park managementdecision making.Local scientists should be part of any coral reef monitoring process from theoutset including planning of the monitoring process, evaluating itsimplementation, including the validity of the data and ensuring its usefulnessfor decision making.Involvement of senior local scientists in the NSC and the Project ReviewCommittee (PRC) could provide additional quality local coral reef scienceinput into the project and its management.Project IndicatorsDuring the MTR the evaluators attempted to use the Project Inception reportindicators and Progress Implementation Review (PIR) indicators to assist intheir analysis of progress. The indicators in the context of the outputs needrevision as they do not easily show performance, quality, or outcomes thatare able to be readily measured and used. Indicators ideally should be:• Action focussed – does knowing about this help your keystakeholders do things better/effectively?• Important – is it relevant to your stakeholders – a priority?• Measurable – is there information that tells you about your impact?9