Reclamation, a human activity that can transform an entire environment in a relatively short time, epitomizes one of the pinnacles of engineering achievement—creation of new landmass. As demonstrated by the construction of the Chek Lap Kok and Kansai airports in Hong Kong and Japan respectively, whole new islands can be created in this way and, in the process, landscapes, eco-systems and livelihoods could be altered. Considering the potential and major implications, reclamation projects call for a comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts ranging from the direct to the residual, and from the quantifiable to the intangible. Reclamation works have been carried out along Malaysia's coast since the 1950s but it was only in the 1990s that it has captured much public attention, and mostly, due to the conceptual proposals of several large scale reclamation plans along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia facing the Straits of Malacca. This chapter describes the history of erosion control and reclamation works in Malaysia and discusses the initiatives carried out to address the problems they pose.

The states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak in the north‐west of Peninsular Malaysia have a total coastline of 550 km of which almost 40% are adjacent to agricultural lands. Parts of these lands were once intertidal and following their conversion into agricultural land, have been protected from the sea by coastal embankments since the 1950s. Extreme tides and wave erosion used to be the known hazards to these coastal lands, but over the past two decades sea level rise and the tsunami of 2004 have emerged as additional threats. A predicted sea level rise of 0.52 m by 2100 and a tsunami inundation distance exceeding 1000 m inshore have raised concerns as to the sustainability of existing coastal defences, hinterland communities and economic activities. The combined impacts of both sea level rise and tsunami have made the north‐west coastline the most vulnerable to coastal erosion and flooding. This paper compiles the findings of two key studies that assessed these coastal threats and determined the scientific basis for adaptive measures. The findings of the studies indicate that the north‐west coast is the most vulnerable coast in Peninsular Malaysia. The paper also presents the physical impacts of these threats and the proposed adaptive strategies to mitigate them. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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