Kesesuaian "international union for conservation of nature" dalam pemeliharaan keunikan landskap budaya yang terdapat di tanah bencah Setiu

Cultural landscape consists of human life, space and time that play a significant role in the shaping and development of the landscape. It is formed as a result of a continuum of land use mosaic shaped by the activities and needs of the local community. This study was conducted to investigate the uniqueness of the cultural landscape in Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu. A Thematic Analysis was carried out to achieve four objectives by using interview and observation techniques. This study has found three themes in developing Setiu Wetlands which are Historic Landscape, Continuous Landscape and Associative Landscape. The formation of Cultural Landscape in this area was initially used as a transit point for traders from Siam (Thailand), India and China in the 13th century. This has shaped the human geography of the area due to the dependence of the local population on the natural resources and fishing activities. Continuous Landscape was formed from their talents and creativity to produce distinctive crafts as well as developing performing arts associated with the local spiritual values. Associative Landscape was formed from local architecture that is well adapted to the surrounding landscape such as landform, local climate and vegetation to form clusters of homes that achieve harmony between humans and nature. Threat to the uniqueness of the cultural landscape is also identified which is modern development that has led to the gradual decline of the traditional cultural landscape in Setiu Wetlands. This unsustainable development has depleted and further threatens the ecosystems at Setiu Wetlands such as wetlands, lagoons and habitats for wildlife. Most protected areas in Malaysia especially National Parks area gazette under Category II of International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) category which focused on the protection of ecology, flora and fauna. Preservation of social interactions and values is very necessary. In this light IUCN Category V is proposed as an instrument for the protection of the cultural landscape uniqueness in Setiu Wetland. This is due to the comprehensiveness of the management that involved land, coastal and sea areas where there is an interaction between human and nature that creates different characters based on aesthetical, culture and diverse ecology values. IUCN Category V could be applied in the governance system in the preparation of a Special Area Plan for Setiu Wetlands