Mangrove Forest Ecosystems

Mangrove forests ecosystems are known for their variety of values and benefits to nature and socio-economics. Mangrove forests are considered a productive ecosystem that can provide valuable ecological and socio-economic benefits to Malaysia as well as the coastal communities. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia is recognized as one of the twelve popularly known nations in the world for its mega-diversity (Forest Department of Peninsular Malaysia). Several researchers specializing in the area of marine biodiversity studies have emphasized the values and benefits of the mangrove forests ecosystems and their ability to guard and protect coastlines from damaging winds, waves, and floods. Various policies to protect the mangrove forests ecosystems were implemented, however, the need for policy decision-makers to evaluate and recognize the benefits of the mangrove forest ecosystems benefits to nature and human’s well-being rather than converging on monetary profits. The monetary profits should balance the mangrove forests ecosystems values and benefits above financial aids. Effective sustainable goals and aims are critical for the survival of this biodiversity in the future. A well-developed sustainability policy is critical for the future generation, even the implementation is challenging. The paper contributes to the efforts made by the Maritime Institute of Malaysia on coastal marine biodiversity sustainability measures and the Forest Department of Peninsular Malaysia (FDRM) on biological diversity, forest management, and forest biodiversity. However, the coastal dredging activities potential impact on mangrove forests ecosystems, and the United Nations (SDGs) implementation is significant for the dredging industry to buffer the mangrove forests ecosystems survival in the future.

Social

The safety and health indicators are supported, while education funding and knowledge-based training are not supported. Enhancement in social factors needs federal and state government’s adjacent to tackle socio-economic issues and challenges. Policy decision-makers may create prevalent sustainable development goals and effective governance for dredging firms to protect the future survival of the mangrove forest ecosystems from socio-economic growth. Thus, Greenport (2020) states, the global dredging industries projected the health issues is central to SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages, supported by 13 targets that cover a wide spectrum of the World Health Organization's (WHO) work. All the other 16 goals are related to health or their achievement contribute to health. Focus on Organisational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) attributes can contribute to achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, especially to achieve SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. SDG 8 promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment, while SDG 4 is the educational goal to ensure inclusive and fair quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all ages. The learning, training and practice include sessions focusing on strengthening the capacity and promoting partnerships for the sustainable development goals, knowledge and skills achievement, and networking and sharing experiences and peer collaboration. The assessment shows that the support of the public and private sector is critical to the profound knowledge of nature and human well-being. Learning and training may expand coastal sustainability aims in coastal dredging projects. Educational funding and knowledge-based training are critical to future talents development. The awareness of coastal marine biodiversity knowledge through education and professional training certification may increase the ability to identify coastal marine risk factors and mitigation solutions. The dredging industry is technically intensive based and requires specialised skills and management competencies. Learning and training may help to increase the knowledge and skills on coastal marine conservation measures, Historically, dredging was considered as more art than science (John, 1996), however, technological advancement has increased the realisation to use more formal approaches to training that practical experience is desirable. Dredging projects have become bigger and dredging equipment is costly and ignorance are too big to be any longer acceptable to dredging projects. Technology and the competition of the commercial world have ensured the demand. To have a healthy, flourishing world dredging industry is in the interest of everyone. Potential clients, their advisers and contractors must know the possibilities which dredging can offer. There are clear signs that the willingness transfer and exchange of knowledge is flourishing in dredging industries and continues to expand. if education and training succeed, there must be a demand for knowledge and a willingness to take part in the changing environment’s learning and training methods and processes.

Environmental

The pollution conditions and water pollution are supported, while the wastes and recycling and land uses are not supported. Improvement in environmental factors needs federal and state government’s adjacent to tackle environmental issues and challenges seriously. Policy decision-makers may create prevalent sustainable development goals and effective environmental governance for dredging firms to protect the mangrove forest ecosystems breeding growth. Thus, Greenport (2020) stated, the global dredging industries projected air, water, and soil pollution are an important threat to human development. SDG 3.9 seeks to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination by 2030. Subsequently, SDG 6.3 is to improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated waste water, and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally by 2030. Thus, SDG 1 aims for No Poverty. 1% of the global urban population make their living from recovering recyclable materials from waste (SDG 8). These informal waste champions provide a valuable and often no-cost service, and it is important that we recognise their role in urban sanitation and resource efficiency (SDG 10). Sustainable land management is a knowledge-based procedure that aims at integrating the management of land, water, biodiversity, and other environmental resources to meet human needs while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods. The need to review dredging wastes and recycling may have their benefits to the dredging industry and coastal marine biodiversity conservations plans. According to Lei et al. (2018), researchers have developed value-added and time effective measures to transport contaminated sediments into construction fill materials. The has indicated technical and economic feasibility’s values and benefits. The analysis showed contaminated sediment hindered hydrates formation and adversely influenced the properties of sediment-based products. Mixture designs with dry-mix/press method to improve the precipitation reactions to densify the porous structure to enhance performance and conformed to the requirements of partition blocks and paving blocks. The leaching concentrations of potentially toxic elements and organic contaminants from the dredged sediment substantially reduced by stabilisation and solidification satisfied the leachability acceptance criteria for its on-site reuse. Assessment on cost and benefits showed the production of all three studied sediment-based products was potentially profitable. The recycling of sediment into paving blocks showed the highest profit. An innovative solution that effectively mitigates the burden of dredged sediment disposal and sustainably produces green construction materials. Land uses relate to land reclamation for developments. Huabo et al. (2016) gave an example of a land uses issue quoting China’s rapid urbanisation. Land prices were soaring and the solution was to look at the ocean, coastal cities in China for building airports and factories on reclaimed land. However, sea-land reclamation activities have brought about serious environmental effects. Their research combines qualitative and quantitative information on reclamation activities in China highlighting the major environmental effects: ecosystem damage and geological disasters, and the deterioration of marine environmental quality resulting from polluted air, water, soil, and sediment. The realised and potential environmental damages are substantial. A resultant policy recommendation by local Chinese governments to limit land reclamation and to strengthen environmental assessment systems especially in fragile coastal regions containing important oceanic resources such as mangroves and protected wildlife. The study also serves as a reference for the better management of land reclamation in densely populated coastal regions of the world.

Economic

The economic indicator is important for wealth creation and growth. The assessment shows that stakeholders, productivity, and government are supported, while the economy is not supported. Economic indicator plays an important role on the dredging industry economic growth and there are possibilities to overlook protection and conservation measures on coastal marine diversity and habitats. Dredging industries contains production and distribution and extensive conventional method of interrelated economic production and consumption activities that determine how scarce resources and waste are allocated. Development in economic factors needs federal and state government’s adjacent to tackle economic issues and challenges continuously. Policy decision-makers may create prevalent sustainable development goals and effective economic governance for dredging firms to protect the mangrove forest ecosystems economic benefits and values. Thus, Greenport (2020) stated, the global dredging industries projected a well-managed stakeholder engagement process that helps project stakeholders to work together to increase comfort and quality of life while decreasing negative environmental effects and increasing the economic sustainability of the project. SDG 2.3 and 2.4 targets (agriculture, in particular subsistence agriculture) and SDG 8.2 target (total factor productivity), thus recognising that greater productivity is essential to combat hunger, advance decent work and boost economic growth. All the SDGs aim to encourage sustained economic growth by achieving higher levels of productivity and through technological innovation. The goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030. The government plays an important role and even critical role on sustainable goals and aims future and can provide vehicles for informed decision-making, investment, and maintain the checks and balances to promote sustainable economic strategies. James et al. (2015) explained the economic indicator’s importance and asserting the industry’s cost, production and consumption of goods and services. The sustainability goals and aims are significant to the social domain that emphasises and observes material expressions that are associated with the production and resources. The economic consequences can arise from practices and measures involving values, culture, technological advancement, society, organisations, political structure, legal systems, geography, natural resources which may need further studies to expand the sustainability aims. The economic indicator factors can be considered as societal needs whereby well-developed practices and efforts by all levels of inclusiveness is critical.

Sustainable indicators were identified for an effective approach to buffer the mangrove forests ecosystems. Mangrove forests conservation plans need immediate attention and seriousness from all stakeholder’s cooperation and industrial collaboration to find suitable solutions to prevent the mangrove forests ecosystems extinct in the future. Marine biodiversity has enormous value and benefits to marine economic growth. The evaluation shows some sustainability indicators need further attention and to foster new research interests, designing knowledge-based training, and biodiversity educational programs. The advancement in information technology, the fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0), and digitalization initiatives to improve productivity growth and plans for expansion in the services and agriculture sector need well-developed sustainable goals. The perceptions on marine biodiversity and habitats conservation from researches, industries, and organizations may particularly interest the policies decision-makers, related government agencies, Marine Department of Malaysia, Forest Department of Peninsular Malaysia, Department of Fisheries Malaysia, Department of Environment, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, port authorities, port administrators, dredging firms, environmental consultants, maritime institutions, maritime industries, maritime organization's, engineering consultants, construction firms, and contractors involved in planning and designing dredging activities, maritime infrastructure, fluvial projects, and the public to identify relevant industries sustainable SDGs as key drivers to influence the sustainability measures on mangrove forest ecosystems. The aim is to prevent harm and damages and to increase preservation consciousness and opportunities that can benefit the marine biodiversity existence in the future.