Journal of Sustainability Science and Management e-ISSN: 2672-7226 Volume 14 Number 1, February 2019 : 11-28 © Penerbit UMT HERPETOFAUNA OF UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU CAMPUS: SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY IN CAMPUS GREEN AREA BAIZUL HAFSYAM BADLI-SHAM1, NOOR SHAHIRAH-IBRAHIM1, GOH SHU XIAN1, HAYATUN SYAMILA-NOH1, NIK SITI AISHAH ABDUL SHUKOR1, FARAH ANIS SHAFIE1, NURASIKIN MD DAUD1, FARHA ASYIREEN ABDUL RAZAK1, ROSHA ROSLI1, ANIS AZIRA ABDUL AZIZ1, FATIMAH NOR FATIHAH MOHAMMAD1, MOHAMED FAHMI KAMARUZZAMAN1, SUHAILI MOHAMAD1, KHUNIRAH DZU1, AMALINA SHARIFFUDIN1, SITI NAJWA-SAWAWI1 AND AMIRRUDIN AHMAD1,2,* 1School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu 2Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu *Corresponding author:
[email protected] Abstract: Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) campus at Mengabang Telipot, Kuala Nerus has a considerable patch of pristine coastal mangrove forest, comprising more than 13 tree species, and associated fauna, such as bats, birds, insects, and herpetofauna. Over the years, many of the green areas, including mangrove vegetation have been replaced with built-up areas. The objective of this study was to determine the diversity of herpetofauna in green areas around the UMT campus. Samplings of amphibians and reptiles were conducted by using the visual encounter survey technique. A total of 237 individuals representing 22 herpetofauna species was recorded, comprising five amphibians and 19 reptiles. All of the amphibians were regarded as habitat generalist species, while the reptiles were represented by 13 generalist species and 11 habitat specialist species. These species assemblages could be the reflection of the severe degradation of natural habitats, in which the remnant mangrove forests serve as a refuge.