Local Ecological Knowledge and Fishers’ Conservation Attitudes toward Marine Mammals in Brunei Bay, Malaysia

Abstract

Brunei Bay is part of Southeast Asia’s data-scarce areas that offer immense challenges for the conservation of marine mammals due to a lack of systemic biological studies and the overwhelming presence of anthropogenic activities. This study attempts to address these challenges by measuring the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) and how it affects the conservation attitude of 288 fishers through a stratified random sampling method. Although traditional surveys have a high degree of logistical challenges, this study illustrates the importance of using LEK as a practical supportive mechanism for transforming local knowledge into actionable management frameworks. This study reveals that the respondents possess moderate LEK (mean = 0.53) and exhibit mostly neutral to positive attitudes (mean = 0.60) towards marine mammal bycatch. Crucially, a strong, positive, and statistically significant correlation was identified between LEK and conservation attitudes (ρ = 0.86, p < 0.05), suggesting that experiential knowledge is a primary driver of conservation support. Conversely, the high non-response rates regarding hunting and stranding sites reveal a cultural taboo and social desirability bias. This study is the very first of its kind conducted in the region, making it clear that educational interventions need to be targeted in certain localities, particularly Menumbuk and Labuan, where the most negative attitudes were found. Future policy proposals are suggested to move away from general awareness to a more community-based approach in the stewardship of marine resources through the proposed and custom-fit LEK validation workshops and incentivised live release protocols.