MNS Otter Workshop

Coastal habitats are part of the wetland ecosystems that bring benefits not only to the coastal communities, but to the inland communities as well. While we know that the main wetland habitat along the coastal belt is the mangrove forests, but there are waterways that surround different land use types, such as aquaculture farm, urban settlement and agriculture, which also serve as important linkages for the entire wetland ecosystem along the coastline. One of the unique mammal that uses both the mangrove and coastal waterway is the otter, a globally threatened species. Otters have shown to play an important ecologically role as keystone species in river, and wetland ecosystems. But the otters are threatened with habitat loss and degradation, hunted for illegal pet trading, otter-human conflict and pollution across its distribution ranges in Asia and Southeast Asia.  So this workshop will initiate the very first dialogue with the important local authorities focusing on conservation of this wetland ambassador around the coastal oil palm plantations.

 

Moderated by MNS President Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail, the speakers will be Ms. Annabel Timothy Pianzin (Malaysia Otter Network), representative from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) Peninsular Malaysia, and Mr. Woo Chee Yoong (Malaysian Nature Society).

You are cordially invited to attend this session as follows: