TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUOUS COASTAL VULNERABILITY INDEX IN MALAYSIA: A REVIEW

Climate change has brought about many threats to the ecosystem by inducing natural hazards, particularly sea level rise. Coastal areas then are subjected to many adverse effects of sea level rise, hence posing a risk to the safety of the coastal population, resources and assets. As part of the mitigation and adaptation measures against these effects, the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) was implemented by many coastal regions. The CVI is an index-based tool to map the risks related to coastal changes. In Malaysia, the practice of CVI is still in its initial stages. Whereby, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia had earlier carried out two pilot projects on CVI. The first is located at Tanjung Piai and the second at the west coast of Pulau Langkawi. This paper reviews the definition and concept of CVI. An alternative implementation approach of CVI in Malaysia is also discussed.