Research

Coastal areas play a critical role in the economic and social development of tropical countries. The highly productive ecosystems found in these areas support a wide range of economic activities. Increasing populations and economic and social development place heavy demands on coastal resources, and often result in natural resource depletion, environ-mental degradation and conflicts over the use of these valuable resources. Coastal resources problems which stem largely from overexploi-tation are due- mainly to poor planning and management of resource use and allocation.

The four sea turtle species found in Malaysia are the leatherback, olive ridley, green and hawksbill. The threats to these species are acute. Populations of leatherback, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles are on the brink of collapse – threatening a biodiversity crisis in Malaysia and the region. On 16-17 August 2004, a workshop was convened in Kijal, Terengganu, to chart new directions in the conservation of Malaysia’s critically endangered sea turtles and to reverse population decline.

The main objective of the document is to make a modest attempt to highlight the challenges which are emerging with the current phase of Cambodia's aquarian reforms -- the most important component of which is the current transition from fishing lots to community fisheries. The challenges include the realms of institutional and policy reform, local action, innovation and research. We contextualize our effort by commencing with an assessment of the importance of the aquatic resources and by providing a brief historical background to the reforms.

The Asian Fisheries Social Science Research Network (AFSSRN) was a long-term effort to build social science research capacity for fi sheries and marine resources in Southeast Asia. The history of the Network is reviewed. Several case studies of the impact of the AFSSRN on individual Network members and its infl uence on public policy are presented. Lessons learned and recommendations for capacity building efforts in fi sheries and marine resources research and policy analysis are discussed.

This brief is an outcome of an international consultation on the subject, jointly organized by ICLARM, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Institute for Fishery Management and Coastal Community Development (IFM), held on 3-5 June 1997 at the North Sea Centre, Hirtshals, Denmark.

An account of research, which explored new biological and socioeconomic perspectives on bivalve mollusc culture to increase production and to improve the livelihood of farmers. It presents a review of the pathways in which aquatic macrophytes may be involved in the food production process, directly as human food, as livestock fodder, as fertilizer (mulch and manure, ash, green manure, compost, biogas slurry), and as food for aquatic herbivores, such as fish, turtles, rodents and manatees.

A study was made of the availability and impact of the publications and other contributions to the literature of the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), based in the Philippines. The availability of ICLARM items in several commercial databases was ascertained and manual citation counts were made from the center's library material and staff personal reprint collections. Over 300 citations of ICLARM items annually were found for recent years, with a total of 2,131 citations from 1979 to February 1988.

Coastal areas play a critical role in the economic development of coun-tries in the Southeast Asian region. The highly productive ecosystems found in these areas help sustain a wide range of diversified economic activities. How-ever, increasing population and rapid economic development make heavy demands on coastal resources, resulting in environmental degradation and resource use conflicts. The latter two are due largely to lack of information on sound uti-lization and proper management of coastal resources.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided a grant for the implementation of a coastal resources management project (CRMP) designed to strengthen the capability of the countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to develop their renewable resources on a sustainable basis. This project will help ensure the long-term productivity of coastal fisheries, aquaculture, forestry and other forms of primary resource-dependent development (Project Document, rev. August 1985.

In consultation with our stakeholders, ICLARM has adopted an aquatic resource system approach— used for the first time in the earlier Plan—and examined eight different aquatic resource systems, the special resource issues of small island developing states, and the major issues and benefits of each aquatic resource system for the poor in developing countries. These resource systems have been selected largely to respond to the needs in the tropical regions of the world.