Carrying Capacity Assessment of Pulau Payar Marine Park, Malaysia - Bay of Bengal Programme
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This document assesses a few critical aspects of the "carrying capacity" of the Pulau Payar Marine Park, a marine resource sanctuary and tourist attraction off the west coast of Kedah state, in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia. The document is based on a survey of the park's coral reefs which are popular dive sites, and a land-based survey for which interviews were conducted with tourists, tour operators, divers and dive operators. The document says that given the increasing number of tourists to the park, further expansion of tourism development is not desirable. Improving the "carrying capacity" of the park means taking appropriate management action to prevent degradation of the coral reefs and provide adequate facilities to cope with tourist use, demands and requirements. Ms Li Ching Lim, Scientific Officer, World Wildlife Fund, Malaysia, conducted the survey for the Department of Fisheries, Malaysia. The study was made possible with funds provided by the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) and the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Foundation. The author makes several recommendations concerning the reefs, the marine park, its facilities, and socio-economics. The BOBP is a multi-agency regional fisheries programme which covers seven countries around the Bay of Bengal - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand. The Programme plays a catalytic and consultative role in developing coastal fisheries management in the Bay of Bengal to help improve the conditions of small-scale fisherfolk in the member-countries. The BOBP is sponsored by the governments of Denmark and Japan. The executing agency is the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.)