This 500m wooden platform enables visitors to explore Setiu Wetlands State Park in Terengganu. — Photos: FARID WAHAB/The Star and courtesy of Terengganu State Park Management Council
NESTLED amid the quaint Setiu district in Terengganu, a mangrove forest lying along its shoreline houses a diverse range of plants and animals.
Surrounded by several islands, few people would guess that this lush tract once hosted disused aquaculture farms.
Maintaining the 1,574ha area now known as Setiu Wetlands State Park is a group of local volunteers.
Sahabat Setiu chairman Azmi Omar, 57, said he had been involved in various programmes to plant mangrove trees and upgrade the facilities there over the last two decades.
Mangrove roots protect fish eggs from being swept away during high tide.
Among them was construction of a 500m wooden walkway funded by PETRONAS, allowing visitors to explore the ecosystem.
“We also worked with government agencies, non-governmental organisations and higher education institutions,” Azmi told StarMetro on a visit to the state park.
Today, the area hosts some 3,000 mangrove trees that are part of the larger 23,000ha wetlands that line Setiu’s coast.
Located some 80km north of Kuala Terengganu, it was gazetted a state park by Terengganu government on May 10, 2018.
Terengganu State Park Management Council (MPTN) manages the landscape with help from Azmi and his organisation.
Many local folk living along the Setiu shore are fishermen.
The area is dotted with fishing villages along the coastline, where many locals earn an income by selling their catch.
It is estimated that 5,000 residents live in these settlements, with aquafarms being the dominant economic activity.
Enhanced protection
Before it became a state park, locals pushed for Setiu wetlands to be gazetted to protect the landscape from rampant development.
Azmi said concerns were raised when many companies from outside Setiu began setting up aquafarms in the district.
Azmi hopes a wider expanse of Setiu wetlands will be gazetted in future.
“When their businesses failed to take off, many of the facilities were abandoned, leaving behind barren plots of land.
“Locals were worried about the impact these changes had on the mangrove trees, which are their source of livelihood.
“So during meetings with state and local authorities, we suggested that the area be gazetted,” he added.
Their wish came true when Terengganu State Park Enactment 2017 came into effect, paving the way for part of the wetlands to be gazetted.
This was done in stages – Phase One covered 432ha and the remaining 1,142ha under Phase Two.
Tengku Mohd Arifin says more than 30 mangrove species can be found in the wetlands.The park was the first to receive this recognition in the state, followed by Pulau Tenggol State Park, Kenyir State Park and Bidong Island State Park in subsequent years.
MPTN director Tengku Mohd Arifin Tengku A. Rahman said outsiders were prohibited from harvesting resources found in Setiu Wetlands State Park.
“Only locals may do so, and even then, they must apply for a special permit that has to be renewed annually.
“This permit allows its holder to harvest certain species, such as nipah (mangrove palm), but not the mangroves.”
He said that to prevent abuse, MPTN worked closely with local village heads to monitor permit holders.
On enforcement, Tengku Mohd Arifin said there were currently 16 rangers, 15 of whom were locals, monitoring the park.
“There used to be intruders entering the park to harvest the natural resources, but we have put a stop to that,” he added.
Those found in breach of the enactment could be fined between RM10,000 and RM1mil or jailed seven years, or both.
They could also be subjected to whipping.
Valuable habitat
Apart from PETRONAS, other parties such as the United Nations Development Programme and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu were also involved with mangrove planting initiatives at the park.
However, it was learned that mangroves took longer to grow in the east coast compared to the west coast, said Azmi.
“Unlike the west coast, coastlines here have more sand, making it less fertile for mangroves.
“Mangroves thrive in muddy soil and those in Setiu grow at only half the rate seen on the west coast,” he noted.
Nevertheless, he said the move to plant mangroves still benefitted aquatic species such as tiger prawn and grouper fish, which laid eggs among the roots.
“They will migrate here during mating season.
“The roots protect the eggs from being swept away during high tide,” said Azmi, who hopes a wider expanse of the wetlands will be gazetted in future.
With 10 interconnected ecosystems – beach ridges, melaleuca swamps, freshwater lake, rivers, mangrove swamp, riverine island, mudflat, lagoon, estuaries and beaches – Setiu wetlands are the largest in peninsular Malaysia’s east coast.
It is home to 29 mammal species, 36 reptile and amphibian species, 161 bird species and 32 fish species (freshwater and saltwater).
Apart from various shellfish such as oysters and clams, it is also a habitat for the critically endangered painted terrapin.
Five rivers, namely Sungai Setiu, Sungai Chalok, Sungai Merang, Sungai Bari and Sungai Guntung, extend across the landscape.
Tengku Mohd Arifin said over 30 mangrove species could be found inside the park, which also serves as a secondary link for the Central Forest Spine that comprises a collection of forest complexes along the peninsula’s backbone.
Plenty of wildlife species including the sun bear, saltwater crocodiles and various birds had been sighted inside the park, he said, adding that no conflicts with humans had been reported so far.
Consistent monitoring
Mangrove saplings generally take between five and 10 years to become mature and these trees may live to over a century.
Fadly says regular checks are important to ensure newly planted mangrove saplings survive.However, several factors such as salinity, tidal range and human activities may affect their growth and survival.
To ensure they reach maturity, newly planted saplings must be inspected regularly.
When it comes to tree-planting events, environmental groups are usually roped in to organise these activities with the private sector.
EcoKnights programme director Fadly Ahmad Bakhtiar said that before embarking on a partnership, the organisation required companies to agree to monitor the trees post-planting.
“The minimum is six months, though some companies have agreed to monitor for up to two years.
“Every three months, we will inspect the saplings and plant new ones in place of those that have died,” he said.
The group recently co-organised a mangrove planting exercise with MBSB Bank Bhd, which saw 40 MBSB employees from its branches in Kuala Terengganu, Kota Baru (Kelantan) and Kuantan (Pahang) planting more than 200 saplings at the park.
Fadly said involvement of the corporate sector and the public was crucial in raising awareness about the importance of mangroves.
“This will encourage greater participation in future, leading to action and subsequently, empowerment and change,” he highlighted.
Azmi said sufficient funds and support from stakeholders were also vital in getting communities involved in such initiatives.
He said his association often faced manpower shortage as few were willing to take on the backbreaking work.
“When we registered in 2015, we had 80 members but now only 20 are still active.
“There are complaints that the work we do is unpaid, hence few people want to take part in these activities.
“As such, I regularly rope in unemployed youths from nearby villages in programmes and pay them RM30 per event,” said Azmi.
Conservation measures
Efforts are ongoing to preserve the park’s biodiversity and highlight its tourism appeal, as outlined in several development proposals by Setiu District Council.
In Setiu District Local Plan 2035, the local council plans to create water catchment areas and restore ecological corridors between Setiu wetlands and Hulu Setiu.
It also proposes to develop the park as an ecotourism spot with selected villages nearby rebranded under the State Tourism Village tag.
Rokiah hopes more can be done to promote the state park.To limit the types of development permitted, the park was classified as an environmentally sensitive area.
Rokiah Seman, who runs a snack stall with her husband at the park entrance, hoped for more promotions for the area.
“I have been doing business here for about 10 years and the number of visitors fluctuates, so there is no steady income.
“It tends to pick up during school holidays,” she said, adding that most of the visitors were students and university researchers.
According to an official gazette published by the Terengganu state assembly office last November, the park received 36,000 visitors between 2019 and 2023, with some RM108,000 collected in business receipts.
Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has also touched on environmental preservation.
In a social media post in January, he said degraded forests in the park would be restored.
He said a memorandum of understanding was inked between a private company, MPTN and Setiu Land and District Office to reforest an 80ha area around Tasik Berombak by planting 100,000 melaleuca trees within five years.
“This will create jobs via sustainable harvesting of forest resources, ecotourism and cottage industries,” he added.
Setiu Wetlands State Park is open Saturdays to Thursdays, from 9am to 4pm.
Tickets are priced at RM5 for those aged 13 and above, RM2 for children and senior citizens.
For foreigners, tickets are RM30 for those aged 13 and above and RM15 for children and senior citizens.
Admission is free for children below six and people with disabilities.
