The Sama Dilaut (also known as Bajau Laut) are a largely stateless maritime community living in the coastal region of the east Malaysian state of Sabah. This dissertation investigates how the condition of statelessness affects the extent to which meaningful participation in marine conservation management can occur, and how institutions involved in this management perceive and respond to stateless people. By focusing on stateless people without political recognition in Malaysia, this study contributes to an increased understanding of the vulnerable position of stateless people in a multi-‘racial’ country and the dynamics of natural resource management involving multiple stakeholders.

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