A review of the importance, gaps and future directions of Integrated Lake Basin Management Planning in Malaysia

The present study assessed the importance of basin management plans for managing lakes in Malaysia within the context of Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) governance principles. Although ILBM has been promoted since 2007, less than 2% of the lakes in the country have basin management plan in place. Most of these management plans need to be fully adopted, reviewed and evolved as living documents by all relevant stakeholders for successful lake basin management. Increasing demands for resources and development within catchments, as well as emerging threats, require integrated management of lake resources for sustainable use, highlighting the need to develop basin management plans for all other lakes to support their effective management. The present study also provides a narrative for developing an ILBM plan, including consideration of lake characteristics, the linked lentic–lotic water systems comprising lake basins, ecosystem services, participatory planning and for performing continuous lake governance improvements within a cyclical process. Management planning for lakes should address specific focus areas or major threats, continuing the process until all its relevant governance pillars are strengthened. These ILBM plans can eventually be integrated to the larger river basin management and state water resources management planning towards effective water governance.