SEARRP, together with the Tropical Biology Association & Yayasan Hashanah, host Stakeholder Meetings to introduce a Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-based Assessment (TESSA)

Dr Agama presenting the TESSA Programme timeline.

The SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), in collaboration with the Tropical Biology Association (TBA), is embarking on a project supported by Yayasan Hasanah to build capacity of conservation practitioners and natural resource managers to identify, prioritise and assess ecosystem services in Malaysia. This will be the initial phase (Phase One) of this project, which will be carried out over the next 18 months. Phase One commenced on May 1st 2018, and will pilot the Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-based Assessment (TESSA) in the Malaysian context.

Dr Reynolds presenting the TESSA toolkit at recent stakeholders meeting

SEARRP started this project by hosting a series of consultations to engage stakeholders in Penang on May 22, Kota Kinabalu on May 24, and Kuala Lumpur on June 4, 2018. These meetings will introduce the TESSA toolkit which is designed to provide conservation practitioners with low-cost, simplified and accessible methods for evaluating ecosystem services at the site-level. Through the application of TESSA, conservation practitioners and natural resource managers will be able to generate their own evidence base and engage with their stakeholders – including land-use planners, communities, and the private sector – to improve the management of ecosystem services at their sites. This makes TESSA an incredibly useful tool for conservation in Malaysia.