Safeguarding Natural and Cultural Heritage - Malaysia Journal of ...

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48 Suriati Ghazali threat as populations grow, urbanization increases and economies develop (Hickey 2006). Moreover, in recent decades, more centralized governments have forced changes to inherited practices, which to certain extent have brought poverty, conflict and ecosystem deterioration (Howard & Pinder 2003). Traditional fishing communities everywhere, and in much of Malaysia, are subject to fluctuations in resource abundance, which poses a number of challenges to these communities (Marschke & Berkes 2006; Yahaya 1993). Marschke and Berkes (2006) note that fluctuation in resource abundance, seasonal cycles of resource use, and changes in access create challenging conditions for rural households. Economic and policy drivers are also of concern. In adapting to these circumstances, people have had to find ways to cope with the stresses that these changes engender. Diversification is a commonly used strategy amongst communities as a way of adapting and mitigating the negative impact of these changes. Chambers and Conway (1992) suggest that ‘a livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities, assets and entitlements, while not undermining the natural resource base’. According to Marschke and Berkes (2006), stresses and shocks that impinge upon livelihoods are the result of interaction between global forces and a local context. Hazards and disaster caused by tsunami following an earthquake, for example, are shocks that affected livelihoods of fishing communities (FAO 2006). A stress is a continuous or slowly increasing pressure, commonly within the range of normal variability, whereas a shock is a major spike in pressure beyond the normal range of variability in which the system operates. This paper explores the relationship between fishing communities in semi-rural fishing villages in Teluk Bahang, Penang, Malaysia and the natural environment, and the extent to which this relationship protects an endangered cultural heritage. Specifically, the paper highlights the way in which villagers engaged in heritage-related activities - such as traditional fishing, processing food from sea resources and operating a Homestay - has helped to promote and sustain the natural environment and cultural heritage. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 individuals from 10 households, this paper also discusses the factors that have influenced them to preserve their natural and cultural heritage. HERITAGE-RELATED ACTIVITIES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS Heritage-related activities fundamentally rely on the use of inherited environmental and sociocultural assets, and also have the potential to attract visitors (Fyall & Garrod 1998; Millar 1991). Investment in natural and cultural heritage can be beneficial for a local economy not only in terms of cultural consumption, but also in the form of increased employment and income (Bowitz & Ibenholt 2009; Greffe 2004; Ghazali & Sirat 2011). Bowitz and Ibenholt’s (2009) study on the Norwegian town of Røros found that tourism related to cultural heritage in the region contributes some 7% to overall employment and income. Ghazali and Sirat (2011) meanwhile found that more than a third of the population in Kinabalu National Park benefit economically from ecotourism, which created jobs in the services sector such as tourist guides, lodge operators, handcraft weavers and sellers, and porters transporting food and goods to lodges near the mountain peak. In natural conservation area, livelihood related to heritage activities is attractive to many contemporary visitors, who desire to directly experience diverse past and present natural and cultural landscapes, performances, foods and handicrafts, as well as participate in cultural activities (Chhabra et al. 2003). Heritage-related activities can attribute to authenticity, in which material and non-material culture preserved in language, religion, and other customs give a certain social atmosphere that is appreciated by many of the residents and is sometimes advertised as an attraction (de Blij & Murphy 2003; Driver 1999). The emphasis placed on genuine or authentic natural and cultural experiences by visitors encourages the exhibition to explore mountains, forests, rivers and seas, usually those which have entitled ‘national parks’. It also promotes the staging of traditional dances and the Malaysian Journal of Environmental Management 12(1) (2011): 47-58
Malaysian Journal of Environmental Management 12(1) (2011): 47-58 Suriati Ghazali 49 exhibition of traditional attires and cuisine. All of these can lead to a re-affirmation of community pride in the history and culture of the local population (UNEP 2002; Lane & Waitt 2001). STUDY AREAS AND METHODS Penang State, the third smallest state in Malaysia consists of two separate entities, Penang Island and Seberang Perai, the mainland. Teluk Bahang is located on Penang Island. It consists of a group of small villages, which hold a population of about 14,110 people. They are multiethnic villages populated by Malays (57 per cent), Chinese (39 per cent), Indian (2.5 per cent) and other minorities (1.4 per cent) (data gathered by Teluk Bahang Police Station 2008). Coastal villages of Teluk Bahang were known to be dominated by the Malays, and fishing has been the important means of earning a living to Malay communities here for generations. Indeed, one of the villages’ names translates as ‘Fishing Village’ (Kampung Nelayan). Fishing villages are believed to have existed here long before the 18 th Century, when the Malays from Kedah and Sumatera established settlements before the arrival of the British, Chinese and Indians in the 19 th Century (Lubis 2001; Rashid 2001; Ghazali 1999). Fishing villages in Teluk Bahang are wedged between a small strip of beach and pristine jungle - the Penang National Park (Figure 1) – they are considered to be the main entrance to the National Park. These historical and environmental factors make these sites particularly well-suited to studying activities related to natural and cultural heritage. Most of the population of Teluk Bahang, including Penang Island, are employed within the tourism, industrial or service sectors. Manufacturing has been the most important sector of employment in Penang. In 2000, 42.3% of the working population were engaged in this sector (Malaysia 2005). Tourism-related sectors, such as hotels and restaurants employed 6.4% of the working population. Fishing, on the other hand, employed only 0.4% (2178 persons). Even though fishing accounts for only a small percentage of the employment in Penang, it remains an important element in the livelihood of the fishing communities in some traditional coastal villages. Kampung Nelayan in Teluk Bahang is one of the few remaining fishing villages in Penang (Figure 1). Less than a third of the villagers here remain in fishing and those working for trawlers outnumbered traditional fishers. Informal interviews were carried out with 30 individuals from 10 households throughout 2009-2010. The households were selected on the basis that there must be at least one household member engaged in activities leading to the safeguarding of natural and cultural heritage, specifically, traditional fishing and ‘homestay’ households. Interviews were focused on the issues, challenges, and reasons for remaining or choosing these activities. In the discussion of the results ‘textual strategies’ – the quotation of informants’ own words - were used to allow individuals to speak for themselves (Robinson 1998; Ghazali & Atang 2008). All names used in this article are pseudonyms with the intention of protecting the informants’ anonymity.
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