Evaluating ecosystem services in primary linkage 1 of the central forest spine in Peninsular Malaysia using InVEST: Preliminary results

Abstract

The Improving Connectivity of the Central Forest Spine Project (IC-CFS) under the United Nations of Development Programme (UNDP) funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Malaysian Government (GOM) is aimed at increasing capacity at the Federal and State level to execute the CFS Master Plan. The study areas involved three linkage sites in Johor, Pahang and Perak. One of the activities require GIS-based ecosystem services valuation tools to be introduced for valuation of ecosystem services in the targeted forest landscapes. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) tools developed by the Natural Capital Project were chosen to be tested on the selected project sites particularly using 5 models, i.e. Carbon, Water Yield, Habitat Quality, Sediment Delivery Ratio and Recreation. Several of the models were used to determine ecosystem services and trade-offs between current land use pattern and land use options based on conservation scenarios for the study sites. This paper presents the preliminary outputs derived from each model using Primary Linkage 1 in Sungai Yu Pahang as the study site and discuss the potential of these tools in present and future usage in supporting protection and conservation efforts in CFS and other forestry landscapes of Peninsular Malaysia, not only bring benefits to wildlife protection and conservation, but to the surrounding commutes indirectly.