Using nexus thinking to empower community-based management of mangrove fisheries

The livelihoods of inshore fishermen are threatened by the loss of fisheries productivity largely due to mangrove destruction in Malaysia. This situation is contributed to mainly by a lack of awareness of both the value of mangrove and mangrove-based fishery resources and local knowledge for managing these resources. Furthermore, trust and continual engagement between government, community and other resources users is needed for promoting mangrove-based fisheries management.

This project is a collaboration with the University of Malaya and will apply nexus thinking, a new way of thinking that recognises the interdependencies between uses of the environment, to understand the interdependencies, tensions and trade-off between the mangroves, their fisheries and users.

The specific objectives of the project include:

• Advance the application of nexus thinking to the sustainable management of fishery resources
• Set the foundation for community-based fishery management in the mangrove ecosystem
• Develop a programme of environmental education, emphasising the importance of mangroves.