Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project
Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project
Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project (SPMP) was initiated by a group of researchers and volunteers in 2017. It began with a collection of shorebird photos by Mr. Mohd Nasir, together with his wife Dr Nur Munira Azman, taken while conducting shorebird surveys in Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). Through their sharing on social media, many people expressed a desire to know more about shorebirds.
Shorebirds often go unnoticed. Hence, awareness-raising of these species to the public, including the local authorities, is needed as shorebirds are facing population decline due to habitat conversion, illegal trapping and other threats. Collaboration among stakeholders is the key to helping shorebird conservation in Malaysia. SPMP is actively collaborating with local and international bodies in order to gain more support for shorebirds and mangrove conservation in Teluk Air Tawar- Kuala Muda IBA. Throughout the year, we continuously conduct shorebirds surveys, lectures, seminars and community engagement activities related to shorebird conservation.
Get To Know The Team
Nur Munira Azman, PhD, is an ornithologist. She is the coordinator of Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project and a lecturer in the Biology Department of the Educational University of Sultan Idris, Malaysia. Dr Munira said, "I love birds- but shorebirds have a special place in my heart. My husband (Nasir Azizan) and I love birdwatching. I've been taught by Nasir how to identify shorebirds in the last 7 years. From there I started to gain more knowledge about shorebirds, their incredible annual journeys and the challenges and threats they face. Malaysia is blessed with a vast diversity of birds in our forests, as well as migratory shorebirds that visit our coastal areas every year. This is our national heritage and Malaysians need to take care of it. The existence of the birds in large numbers means that our ecosystem is very productive with plenty of food sources and also provides a safe place to rest for them". She hopes that the establishment of the Shorebirds Malaysia website will encourage more people to learn about shorebirds and have an interest in protecting the birds and their habitat.
Mohd Nasir Azizan is the co-founder of Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project. He started observing shorebirds as a hobby in 2016 and got seriously involved in shorebird photography in 2017. He believes that capturing unique moments of shorebirds' lives in the field through photography will allow him to share the incredible journeys of shorebirds with a wider audience. "Shorebirds are international travellers, as they migrate from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere to their wintering grounds in tropical and subtropical countries. However, their populations are declining at an alarming rate due to habitat destruction of their stop-over sites and illegal hunting. I hope through this project to lobby government agencies, NGOs and local communities to conserve shorebirds and their habitat".
Nurul Salmi Abd Latip, PhD, is the advisor and team member of Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project. She was formerly an academic at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. Opting for an early retirement, she now freelances and involves herself with various projects. Shorebirds Malaysia is the manifestation of our celebration of the amazing journeys and the phenomenal world of shorebirds that we hope you will become part of. The website is a showcase of many folks coming together on the same platform to advocate to shorebird education and conservation. We hope to engage more stakeholders, authorities, and the public in our advocacy and conservation efforts of (migratory) shorebirds and their chains of connected wetlands sites in Malaysia and beyond.
Dave Bakewell is a friend and advisor of SPMP. Currently working as a lecturer in Miri, Sarawak, he and his family lived in Pulau Pinang from 1999-2020. Originally from the UK, he has made Malaysia his home since 1988, when he started work for the Asian Wetland Bureau (now part of Wetlands International). He has had a lifelong interest in birds, and in particular, bird migration and shorebirds. Over his many years in the region, he has witnessed the catastrophic decline in shorebird populations. On the other hand, he has also seen a huge increase in the number of people, agencies and governments in the region taking an active interest in shorebirds and their conservation, and this gives him hope. He is excited by the initiative taken by SPMP to engage and collaborate with local communities, NGOs and government bodies in their passion to see shorebirds and their habitats protected for future generations. He supports conservation through his voluntary work with the Malaysian Nature Society, the Wild Bird Club of Malaysia and the Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project, among others.
Aini Hasanah Abd Mutalib, PhD, is a research officer in the Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. She is working towards advancing herself in terrestrial wildlife's bioacoustic research, and overall is very enthused in working towards conservation management and capacity building. She was actively involved in cofoundingand steering the Malaysian Primatological Society (MPS) and truly is supportive of conservation and research of terrestrial wildlife. She helped facilitate the foundation of SPMP in terms of outreach of this research and conservation group. She believes that conservation should encompass diversity and inclusivity of people with differing backgrounds and abilities. She is also captivated by the story of the fearless migration of the shorebirds, and most importantly, working together for protecting the key biodiversity areas they and people depend on.
