Rehabilitation of Sandy Coastal Areas in Kuala Rompin, Pahang

Abstract

After the tsunami incident that hit the coasts of several countries including Southeast Asia in December 2004, effort to protect the coastal areas has been immense. In Malaysia, a committee focusing in rehabilitation of coastal areas were established since 2007 to conduct planting and rehabilitation of coastal areas nationwide. In this study, mixed mangrove associate species namely Callophyllum inophyllum (Bintangor laut), Casuarina equisetifolia (Rhu), Syzygium grandis (Kelat jambu laut), Terminalia catappa (Ketapang) and Fagraea fragrans (Tembusu padang) were planted in Kuala Rompin, Pahang. The main objective of this study is to rehabilitate coastal areas with mixed species. Combinations of organic soil and slow-release fertilizer were applied as part of the improved fertilising technique. The initial growth and survival of saplings planted were measured and data obtained were analyzed using SPSS program. After 17 months of planting, the survival was 66% and Casuarina equisetifolia recorded the highest mean annual increment for height and diameter.