Analysis of Two Decades of Research on Marine Protected Areas in Malaysia (2001-2020): Knowledge Gap and Future Research Direction

Abstract

The Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Malaysia was first recognised through the establishment of marine parks in the 90’s. This study provides analyses of the scientific literature on Malaysia’s MPAs published from 2001 to 2020, and discusses research trends, major knowledge gaps and directions for future research. To do so, a total of 113 selected scientific publications were analysed. The volume of research has increased rapidly in the last decade with the number of publications per year increasing from 1 in 2001 to 11 in 2020. Three main research indicators i. e. Biophysical, Socio-economic and Governance were used. The Biophysical indicator reveals great disparity with the majority of research focused on aspects of coral biology. Results also indicate that academic research has shown significant advances in the number of Socio-economic studies. Research was concentrated in three locations, i. e. Pulau Tioman, Pulau Redang and Pulau Payar. According to the bibliometric analysis, the top productive institutions were led by the Universiti Putra Malaysia. This study also addresses the research gap, explores new research opportunities and suggests future research directions for MPAs. The innovative technology element was identified as one of the priorities in future research. The current analysis highlighted the importance of collaboration and suggested that partnerships promoting synergistic activities between academic research institutes and the government sector could be the key to enhance and optimise the function of MPAs. In carrying out this review, the authors hope to 1.) Provide insight into the studies performed in MPAs of Malaysia, 2.) categorize areas where research has been conducted and also areas of concern or lacking data, and 3.) assist in guiding future research programs, for better understanding and management of the marine parks.