capacity building, fire prevention and control, local community participation, private
sector partnership, and demonstration of best management practices.
24.2 Community-Based Rehabilitation in Malaysia
Sustainable peatland management focusing on community-based rehabilitation in
Malaysia has been focusing on reducing the peatland degradation by strengthening
the governance, developing incentives to promote integrated management practices
and sustain local livelihoods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the prevention of peatland forest fires and conserving peatland biodiversity. The
community-based rehabilitation includes two main activities for sustainable peatland
management, the establishment of Friends of Peat Swamp Forest and nurturing
green entrepreneurs’ incentives through local community participation.
24.2.1 The Establishment of Friends of Peat Swamp Forest
Local community participation is the key to sustainable peatland management at the
local level. A local community association called “Sahabat Hutan Gambut” or
Friends of Peat Swamp Forest (FPSF) is established to empower and increase the
engagement of the local community in peatland rehabilitation activities in Malaysia.
The association provides a platform for the local community to be actively
involved in various tasks required for the rehabilitation of peatlands and the management of the degraded area and buffer zone. The community who resides close to
the peatland area can be regarded as the frontliner as they are the first ones to be
alerted if something happens such as peatland fire, encroachment, and others. Hence,
their participation and involvement in managing the peatland is highly encouraged
and being replicated by the local authorities.
Local community’s involvement in peat swamp forest rehabilitation programmes
has become an essential strategy towards sustainable peatland management in
Malaysia. By working together with the FPSF, the aim is to rehabilitate severely
degraded sites in Permanent Reserved Forests in Malaysia. This approach combines
environmental rehabilitation and socio-economic improvements, placing greater
emphasis on the process rather than the outputs, and facilitating initiatives from
the community rather than ideas from the project implementation agencies. Local
ownership and effective community participation are crucial to achieve sustainable
impacts. What have been shown by the FPSFs in Selangor & Pahang are the notable
examples of best management practices of peatland management in Malaysia in
relation to the community participation and involvement.
MyCEPA approach encompasses Communication, Education, and Public Awareness, which is a method used to ensure the effective implementation of this
community-based rehabilitation programme. The successful implementation of
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N. Rengasamy and F. Parish
sector partnership, and demonstration of best management practices.
24.2 Community-Based Rehabilitation in Malaysia
Sustainable peatland management focusing on community-based rehabilitation in
Malaysia has been focusing on reducing the peatland degradation by strengthening
the governance, developing incentives to promote integrated management practices
and sustain local livelihoods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the prevention of peatland forest fires and conserving peatland biodiversity. The
community-based rehabilitation includes two main activities for sustainable peatland
management, the establishment of Friends of Peat Swamp Forest and nurturing
green entrepreneurs’ incentives through local community participation.
24.2.1 The Establishment of Friends of Peat Swamp Forest
Local community participation is the key to sustainable peatland management at the
local level. A local community association called “Sahabat Hutan Gambut” or
Friends of Peat Swamp Forest (FPSF) is established to empower and increase the
engagement of the local community in peatland rehabilitation activities in Malaysia.
The association provides a platform for the local community to be actively
involved in various tasks required for the rehabilitation of peatlands and the management of the degraded area and buffer zone. The community who resides close to
the peatland area can be regarded as the frontliner as they are the first ones to be
alerted if something happens such as peatland fire, encroachment, and others. Hence,
their participation and involvement in managing the peatland is highly encouraged
and being replicated by the local authorities.
Local community’s involvement in peat swamp forest rehabilitation programmes
has become an essential strategy towards sustainable peatland management in
Malaysia. By working together with the FPSF, the aim is to rehabilitate severely
degraded sites in Permanent Reserved Forests in Malaysia. This approach combines
environmental rehabilitation and socio-economic improvements, placing greater
emphasis on the process rather than the outputs, and facilitating initiatives from
the community rather than ideas from the project implementation agencies. Local
ownership and effective community participation are crucial to achieve sustainable
impacts. What have been shown by the FPSFs in Selangor & Pahang are the notable
examples of best management practices of peatland management in Malaysia in
relation to the community participation and involvement.
MyCEPA approach encompasses Communication, Education, and Public Awareness, which is a method used to ensure the effective implementation of this
community-based rehabilitation programme. The successful implementation of
654
N. Rengasamy and F. Parish