Champions at the Top Make Change Possible

It takes champions to sustain marine and coastal conservation efforts, and Malaysia has many. One is
Dr. Nor Aieni Binti Haji Mokhtar, Under Secretary/Director National Oceanography Directorate (NOD) at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

MOSTI is the focal point for Malaysia’s work on the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), and Dr. Nor Aieni oversees the National Oceanography Directorate (NOD) there. She is a modest, highly capable and adaptable woman whose enthusiasm and energy play a significant role in Malaysia’s ongoing CTI-CFF story. “I’m trained as an ocean modeling physicist and coastal engineer,” she said. “With CTI-CFF, suddenly I’m learning about fish and MPAs and community livelihoods, which is all so interesting, and as scientists what we can do is make sure we link data to solutions.”

NOD is tasked not only with coordinating the collection and dissemination of scientific data needed for good marine and coastal resource management, but also with synchronizing the efforts of the government agencies, NGOs and communities and making sure that the country’s program aligns with regional CTI-CFF work. Under the direction of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) and Datuk Dr.Ewon Ibin—Minister of MOSTI and current chair of the Regional CTI-CFF Council of Ministers—Dr. Nor Aieni and her staff help the diverse national ministries coordinate on complex, multi-disciplinary issues. NOD also administers the funding allocated to advance the goals in the CTI-CFF National Plan of Action (NPOA).

Malaysia’s NPOA outlines the steps the country plans to take through 2015 to address the environmental issues threatening its fisheries and food security.  One important theme is integrating an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) into marine and coastal resource management. EAFM includes taking into consideration such ideas as the life cycles of fish, the impact of terrestrial activity on the sea and the welfare of the communities dependent on marine resources.  “The issue of food security and fisheries has caught the attention of the government, and the EAFM framework is something really useful to help us address this,” stated Dr. Nor Aieni.  “We’ve formed the EAFM National Steering Committee to apply it to our needs.”On other fronts, NOD has commissioned research on climate change impacts in the proposed Tun Mustapha Park marine protected area in Sabah, Eastern Malaysia.
Malaysia is the first Coral Triangle country to ratify the agreement towards establishing the Permanent Regional Secretariat of the CTI-CFF

In Malaysia, the government has integrated its NPOA activities into the national budget through 2015, thus ensuring that the country’s work in marine and coastal resource conservation under CTI-CFF will continue into the future. WWF Malaysia is the lead implementing partner of the USAID-funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) that supports the efforts of Malaysia’s National Coordinating Committee.

Photo: Prof. Nor Aieni at her office in Putrajaya, Malaysia Credit: USAID CTSP/Tory Read