Pulau Sibu scientific expedition: Connecting the land and the sea for biodiversity management of a Marine Park island

The Department of Marine Parks Malaysia (now the Marine Park and Resource Management Division under the Department of Fisheries) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu have a long history in marine based research through various collaborations. In 2017, in recognizing the need for integrated knowledge on both the marine and terrestrial components of our Marine Park islands towards ensuring a holistic understanding of the island ecosystems for its effective management, a new path was paved by the two institutions by agreeing to jointly organize a scientific expedition in Pulau Sibu, Johor. The aim of this expedition was to document the species, ecosystems and livelihoods on the island while focusing on its coastal and terrestrial zones. This first “from land to the sea” scientific expedition was organized successfully from 21st to 25th July 2017. Themed under the topics of Species, Ecosystems and Livelihoods, the collaboration with our partners was a commendable effort that resulted in twelve scientific research papers that added value to the biodiversity profile of the Marine Park island. Together, they served as a case study for creating a baseline for an integrated biodiversity management approach of our Marine Park islands. The findings from this expedition offered new scientific understanding of the uniqueness and connectivity between species, ecosystems and livelihoods on the island. Also, this unique inter-agency collaboration contributed towards initiating a trans-disciplinary research framework that is timely needed in a marine park ecosystem