The aim of this scientific research is to assess how the urban population of the Klang Valley utilize and perceive nature, and their consumption patterns.
According to Bekhet and Othman (2017), the National Development Policy and Vision 2020 set by the Malaysian government has been promoting economic progression and national modernisation which is indirectly assisted urbanisation. The conversion from agriculture to industrial based economy in Malaysia has created job opportunities in urban areas causing rural-urban migration to increase exponentially the past years (Shahbaz et al., 2015). By the year 2020, 75 percent of the Malaysian populations are expected to live in urban areas, namely in the Klang Valley, Ipoh, Johor Bahru and Penang (IIED, 2014). Urban expansion and land use changes are known to cause increase in greenhouse gas emissions, habitat loss, loss of terrestrial carbon storage area and vegetation biomass (Seto, Guneralp & Hutyra, 2012). In addition, urbanisation can also cause a disconnection between human and nature through ‘extinction of experience’ (Shanahan et al., 2014). Chiesura (2004) stated that interaction with nature is crucial for human social and psychological restoration.
Theoretically, environmental awareness influenced environmental behaviour and that is why in recent years, multiple studies have been conducted to quantify human perception and experiences with nature (Abdul Aziz et al., 2012; Barau, 2017; Cox et al., 2017; Mohd Suki, 2017; Rashid et al., 2017; Sreetheran, 2017). This study seeks to extend this research to Malaysia one of the fastest urbanizing countries in Southeast Asia.
You can contribute to this research by responding to our survey: https://goo.gl/c52p8k
by Nur Aliya Binti Sabarudin
*This project is a collaboration between the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and Universiti Putra Malaysia