THE VALUE OF A MANGROVE AREA IN SARAWAK

Many arguments have been presented to justify the conservation of trop ical forests. In the case of mangrove forests, their preservation can be argued using economic and employment grounds alone. A case study of the Sarawak Mangroves Forest Reserve, Malaysia is presented. Here, th e mangroves support marine fisheries worth US$21.1 million p.a. and up to 3000 jobs, timber products worth US$123,217 p. a., and a tourist i ndustry worth US$3.7 million p. a. If the mangroves were to be damaged , all of the fisheries and timber and many of the tourism benefits wou ld be lost. In addition, highly expensive civil engineering works woul d be incurred to prevent coastal erosion, flooding and other damage. T he area is also one of the only remaining refuges for mangrove flora a nd fauna in Sarawak. If the area were to be converted to aquaculture p onds or oil palm plantations, levels of revenue would be greatly reduc ed, and the multiple other benefits of mangroves would be lost. Coasta l land pressure is not a limiting factor in the State. Considering the ir economic, employment, coastal protection and species conservation v alues, mangroves should be conserved and their importance taken into a ccount at all levels in development planning.