5. Sustainability Dimensions of Marine Park Community Development in Malaysia

Global biodiversity losses and environmental degradation are accelerated by rapid population growth, unsustainable economic development, rapid urbanisation, and climatic conditions. There is a dynamic and composite relationship between livelihoods and conservation; thus, conservation and poverty reduction are integral parts of the conservation philosophy and practices in most developing nations. However, maintaining an effective balance between environmental conservation and community development has proved difficult. The effects of conservation on coastal communities, in social terms, have been recognised in four main dimensions of poverty including wealth, health, political empowerment, and education. Few studies, however, have researched the effects of economic, social, political, cultural, technological, and ecological development on the sustainable use of natural resources in coastal areas. The alleviation of rural poverty has been a long-standing concern of governments, and economic development has frequently been viewed as the instrument for ending poverty. This chapter therefore examines the primary dimensions of sustainable development for marine park communities (MPCs).