MNS Otter Workshop

The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is pleased to bring you the first MNS Otter Workshop for 2021, themed "Conservation of otter along coastal oil palm plantations", during the celebration of World Wetlands Day organised by MNS and supported by MSIG Asia and Conservation International Asia-Pacific.

Coastal habitats are part of the wetland ecosystems that bring benefits not only to the coastal communities, but to the inland communities as well. While we know that the main wetland habitat along the coastal belt is the mangrove forests, there are waterways that surround different land use types, such as aquaculture farm, urban settlement and agriculture, which also serve as important linkages for the entire wetland ecosystem along the coastline. One of the unique mammals that use both the mangrove and coastal waterway is the otter, a globally threatened species. Otters have shown to play an important ecologically role as keystone species in river, and wetland ecosystems. But the otters are threatened with habitat loss and degradation, hunted for illegal pet trading, otter-human conflict and pollution across its distribution ranges in Asia and Southeast Asia. So this workshop will initiate the very first dialogue with the important local authorities focusing on conservation of this wetland ambassador around the coastal oil palm plantations.

Moderated by MNS President, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail, the speakers are Annabel Timothy Pianzin from the Malaysia Otter Network, Noraini Nasaruddin, Chief of Assistant Director, Division of Enforcement, Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) Peninsular Malaysia, and Woo Chee Yoong from the Malaysian Nature Society and Malaysia Otter Network.