Marine habitat mapping on Labuan Marine Park, Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia
Marine environment consists of many habitats that support marine life. High diversity of marine life forms a complex ecosystem in coastal environments. Therefore, habitat mapping is useful for development and better management planning on marine habitat. Therefore, marine habitat mapping study wa...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/13009/1/Marine%20habitat%20mapping%20on%20Labuan.pdf |
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| Summary: | Marine environment consists of many habitats that support marine life. High
diversity of marine life forms a complex ecosystem in coastal environments.
Therefore, habitat mapping is useful for development and better management
planning on marine habitat. Therefore, marine habitat mapping study was
conducted In Labuan Marine Park (LMP) area. The objectives of this study were to
Identify the actual marine habitat (coral reef, macroalgae, sea grass) distribution, to
characterize the seabed type, and to create a map of marine habitat and seabed
characteristics within the park. LMP is dectared as Marine Park since 1994 and only
the Marine Park In East Malaysia that managed by Department of Marine Park
Malaysia. This park is consists of three islands (Kuraman, Rusukan Besar, Rusukan
Kedl) and estimated area of 37 .9km². The assessments of marine habitat
distribution and seabed characteristics were conducted using the side scan sonar
(555) and supporting Images (topography map, satellite, and Google Earth
Images). The SSS and supporting images were verified by SCUBA diving and
sediment assessment on the seabed. The data from previous studies were also
used to enhance the results. The classification of seabed was divided into three
basic attributes, which are major structure (hard bottom and unconsolidated
structures), minor structure (coral, rock, silt, sand), and marine habitat (coral reef,
macroalgae, and seagrass) cover. The hard bottom structure is mostly dominant
around the islands and at the northern part of the marine park area. Meanwhile,
the unconsolidated structure is mostly found In the middle and east part of the
park. Coral reef areas are well distributed around the Islands in the shallow water
area. It is formed from hard and soft corals. The distribution of coral has been
recorded at the area between Rusukan Besar Island and Rusukan Kecil Island, and
at the southeast part of the park. Meanwhile macro algae mainly found attached to
mixed live coral reefs or submerged rocks around islands. Small patches of
seagrass habitat located at the middle part of the park. These results are important
as detail baseline information on marine habitat for conservation, protection and
better management of LMP. |
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