Enhancing climate resilience in Malaysian shrimp coastal communities: quorum sensing properties in algal integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

About this project

Global warming affects biological and ecological processes, impacting the whole marine food web and disrupting the natural resources vital for the livelihood of coastal communities in Malaysia. This has led to a higher incidence of zoonotic diseases (diseases that pass from animals to humans) and a related overuse of antimicrobials to combat them. The overuse of antimicrobials globally is increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), minimizing their effectiveness and exposing the community to health risks. This project intends to explore algae’s ability to interfere with pathogenic bacteria’s communication systems and thus control diseases and reduce AMR in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. IMTA, which is a nature-based solution, is based on the idea that some species feed off the waste of others. By farming species together — for example, finfish, shellfish and marine plants — farmers can take advantage of the recycling of waste nutrients. The project begins with an investigation of gender-based vulnerability to climate change in the selected coastal communities’ aquacultural practices and their nature-based aquaculture adaptation strategies involving algae. Next, the existing IMTA systems will be improved through the addition of algae with thermal-tolerant and communication-disrupting properties. This will be followed by comprehensive training programs targeting women and other vulnerable groups. Once the sustainability of the approach has been established…

Published by

International Development Research Centre · Other public sector

Countries

Malaysia

Sectors

Fishery development

Focus

Gender equality · Also contributesClimate adaptation · Main focus

Published by International Development Research Centre to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 1 Sept 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: XM-DAC-301-2-110225-001.

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