Public Perceptions and Knowledge of, and Responses to, Bats in Urban Areas in Peninsular Malaysia

Urban vegetation is important in providing ecosystem services to people. Different urban vegetation types provide contrasting suites of ecosystem services and disservices. Understanding public perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices can therefore play an important role in shaping the planning and management of urban areas. We conducted an online survey (n = 1000) to understand how residents in the tropical city of Singapore perceived urban vegetation and the associated ecosystem services and disservices. The questionnaire was designed to explore whether different urban vegetation types (grass, shrubs, trees, trees over shrubs, and secondary forest) were perceived as equal in providing benefits. Respondents considered ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation to be more important than disservices. Among ecosystem services, regulating services were most highly rated, with more than 80% of the respondents appreciating urban vegetation for providing shade and improving air quality. Respondents recognized that different vegetation types provided different ecosystem services. For example, secondary forest was most commonly associated with education and wildlife, while trees were strongly associated with cooling and air quality. We conclude that in developing plans and designs for urban vegetation and ecosystem services, it is important to understand the perceptions, priorities, and concerns of residents.

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Ethnic Patterns of Urbanization in Peninsular Malaysia, 1947-1970

Asian Journal of Social Science ◽

10.1163/080382479x00018 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Charles Hirschman ◽

Yeoh Suan-Pow

Keyword(s):

Distribution System ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Public Policies ◽

Small Towns ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Political Organization ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Rural Villages ◽

Public Protest ◽

The Government

AbstractNotwithstanding the popular nostalgia for the good life in small towns and rural villages, there is a sound rational base for the secular drift from country to town during the last century throughout the world, in countries large and small, rich and poor. In almost every situation, it is clear that those in urban areas have greater access to educational institutions, are exposed to more diverse employment opportunities, and receive higher incomes than rural residents. These differences in economic opportunities and rewards are generally apparent to all. And so inherent in the process of urbanization and the consequent widening of rural-urban disparities is the potential for increased tension with the prevailing distribution system. Rural people, traditionally distrustful of cities, often interpret the growing socioeconomic gap as exploitative in character and pressure political and economic institutions for redress. Yet, most urbanites do not feel advantaged as they compare their plight to more successful urban residents, not to the disadvantaged rural population. In spite of these tensions rural-urban divisions only rarely become the dominant political groupings in a society. Rural to urban migration provides an individual alternative to collective political organization, and governments are often successful in using symbolic politics to allay rural discontent. Yet when rural-urban inequities reinforce other societal divisions such as ethnic groups, the potential for public protest and governmental initiatives is heightened. Such is the case in the plural society of Peninsular Malaysia where the largely rural Malay community is disadvantaged relative to the more urbanized Chinese and Indian minorities. And since the political base of the government is heavily dependent upon rural Malay support, recent public policies are intended to minimize socioeconomic disparities across ethnic communities. One strategy is to increase the proportional representation of Malays in towns and cities. In this paper we review the empirical trends in ethnic patterns of urbanization from 1947 to 1970, prior to advent of explicit public policies to eliminate ethnic inequalities in residence and in socioeconomic rewards.' These trends are interpreted in light of the intent of current government policies.

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Understanding the patterns of fish and seafood consumption and its nutritional roles among a Malaysian population to inform sustainable development

Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy ◽

10.36782/apjsafe.v9i1.86 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Ee Von Goh ◽

◽

Susan Azam Ali ◽

Soma Roy Mitra ◽

Fiona McCullough ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Fishing Effort ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Animal Protein ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Seafood Consumption ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Urban Rural

This study was designed to generate baseline data of the fish and seafood consumption pattern among major ethnics in urban, rural, and coastal regions of Peninsular Malaysia. A food frequency questionnaire was adapted and administered on healthy adult participants above 18 years. Fish and seafood is the prime animal protein source in Malaysian diet, comprising about one-third of total animal protein consumed. Average per capita fish and seafood consumption is 44.53kg/year, with higher levels observed in coastal (51.9kg/year) and rural (51.8kg/year) than urban areas (36.9kg/year). While the fish and seafood intake is relatively high, the total polyunsaturated fatty acids intake is borderline low. Despite cross- cultural and regional variations, there is a great overall preference for wild caught marine pelagic fishes. The demand has to be satisfied by imports, even after increasing local fishing effort. The data are beneficial for sustainability assessment and to inform policies for a sustainable food future

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MAPPING POVERTY HOT SPOTS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA USING SPATIAL AUTOCORRELATION ANALYSIS

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL ◽

10.21837/pm.v14i4.144 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

M. Rafee Majid ◽

Abdul Razak Jaffar ◽

Noordini Che Man ◽

Mehrdad Vaziri ◽

Mohamed Sulemana

Keyword(s):

Policy Implementation ◽

Spatial Autocorrelation ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis ◽

Autocorrelation Analysis ◽

Global Partnership ◽

Data Tables

In September 2000 The Millennium Summit adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty with a deadline of 2015. Eight Millennium Development Goals were formulated of which the eradication of poverty given top priority. However, Malaysia's participation with the UN in dealing with poverty, precede this when it committed itself with the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) programme, which was then reinforced when the Millennium Declaration was made in 2000. Nationally, poverty eradication as well as bridging the inequality gap among the major ethnic groups and states has been the main development goal in Malaysia's development agenda since independence. In this regards, the principle of â€œgrowth with equity has been the central theme in all Malaysia's development policies and efforts since independence. Although Malaysia has made significant achievements in reducing the incidence of aggregate poverty across the country from 8.9% in 1995 down to 1.7% in 2012, there still exist pockets of poverty in the rural areas, in certain states/regions and among ethnic groups, as well as in some urban areas. This shows that formulating planning and policy implementation to eradicate poverty now needs to be more spatially focused for the implementation to be more effective. Recognising the incidence of poverty through standard statistical data tables alone is no longer adequate in formulating planning and policy implementation. Through spatial autocorrelation analysis the pattern of distribution of poverty in space over a period of time can easily be visualised and hotspots of incidence of poverty identified. This paper attempts to show how this analysis can assist in focusing efforts to eradicate poverty in Malaysia.

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Migration Directions and Policy in Malaysia

Open House International ◽

10.1108/ohi-03-2005-b0009 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 69-74

Author(s):

Asan Ali Golam Hassan

Keyword(s):

Gender Inequality ◽

Government Policy ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Poverty ◽

General Pattern ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Foreign Workers ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Dependency Ratio

The discussion in this article will attempt to establish the general pattern of demographic structural change in Peninsular Malaysia and its constituent regions, and to examine the extent to which government policy (restructuring population and decreasing poverty) has influenced the pattern of regional inequalities in Peninsular Malaysia. Although rural-to-urban migration has contributed to decreasing poverty and income distribution, it has also had side effects for the urban and rural population. In the urban areas, these include urban poverty, housing problems and a high influx of foreign workers; in the rural areas, they include an increased dependency ratio, greater gender inequality, increased poverty and abandoned housing.

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An Overview of Municipal Solid Wastes Generation In Malaysia

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v51.142 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Zamali Tarmudi ◽

Mohd Lazim Abdullah ◽

Abu Osman Md Tap

Keyword(s):

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Municipal Solid Wastes ◽

Msw Management ◽

Solid Waste Generation ◽

Transfer Stations ◽

Near Future

Peningkatan jumlah penduduk dan pertumbuhan pesat proses perbandaran dan faktor lain secara langsung mengakibatkan penghasilan sisa pepejal perbandaran. Jumlah kuantiti besar yang dihasilkan terutamanya di Semenanjung Malaysia merekodkan peningkatan daripada 16,200 tan sehari pada tahun 2001 kepada 19,100 tan sehari pada tahun 2005 atau purata per kapita sebanyak 0.8 kg sehari. Jumlah ini kian meningkat dari tahun ke tahun selari dengan penghasilan sisa pepejal di kawasan perbandaran negara–negara Asia lain yang dianggarkan berjumlah 8 juta tan sehari. Justeru, kertas kerja ini membincangkan secara ringkas senario penghasilan sisa pepejal perbandaran di Malaysia. Perbincangan terfokus kepada aliran penghasilan sisa pepejal perbandaran, jenis komposisi, faktorfaktor penyumbang, selain masalah pengurusan sisa pepejal yang sedang dialami oleh Malaysia. Juga dibincangkan, data statistik terkini yang ada hubungkait dengan pengurusan sisa pepejal perbandaran untuk mengetahui keadaan serta rancangan yang sedang dan akan dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan. Perkembangan terkini menunjukkan kerajaan Malaysia sedang dan akan membuat tindakan kehadapan untuk menangani masalah pengurusan sisa pepejal perbandaran di seluruh Majlis Perbandaran (termasuk dewan bandaraya) di seluruh negara. Antara langkah yang diambil termasuklah menutup operasi beberapa tapak pembuangan terbuka terpilih, menaikkan taraf beberapa tapak pengambusan sedia ada kepada pengambusan jenis sanitari, membina pusat–pusat pemindahan, serta memberi keutamaan sistem pelupusan alternatif di masa terdekat. Selain itu, penubuhan perbadanan pengurusan sisa pepejal negara serta meluluskan pembentukan undang–undang khusus berkaitan pembersihan dan pengurusan sisa pepejal perbandaran pada November 2007 lalu dilihat sebagai langkah proaktif ke arah mencapai sasaran pengurusan sisa pepejal yang mampan untuk penyelesaian jangka masa panjang. Kata kunci: Malaysia; pelupusan; pengurusan sisa pepejal; perbandaran; sisa pepejal perbandaran Increasing population and tremendous urbanisation growth and other factors influence directly the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in Malaysia. The huge quantity of MSW generation, particularly in Peninsular Malaysia, has increased from 16,200 tonnes per day in 2001 to 19,100 tonnes per day in 2005 or an average of 0.8 kg/capita/day. The amount increases yearly and seems to grow in parallel with the urban areas in many Asian countries which are estimated to produce approximately 8 million tonnes per day. Thus, this paper briefly discusses the scenario of MSW generation in Malaysia. It focuses on the trends of MSW generation, the composition of MSW, the contributing factors as well as the management problems occurring in Malaysia presently. In addition, some updated statistical figures related to the MSW and management aspects are provided to clarify the present situation and the government’s future planning. Recent development indicates that the Malaysian government has taken forward to deal with such problems in MSW management across the municipalities through closed dumping sites, upgrading existing conventional landfills to sanitary status, constructing new transfer stations and giving serious priority for an alternative disposal system in the near future. Moreover, the establishing a new national solid waste and public cleansing management corporation and enacted a new specific regulations for solid waste and public cleansing management which approved on September 2007 is also seen as a proactive step towards achieving the sustainability of MSW management as a long term solution. Key words: Disposal; Malaysia; management; municipal solid waste (MSW); municipal solid waste generation

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Pollination implications of the diverse diet of tropical nectar-feeding bats roosting in an urban cave

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4572 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4572 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Voon-Ching Lim ◽

Rosli Ramli ◽

Subha Bhassu ◽

John-James Wilson

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Plant Material ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Food Resources ◽

The Body ◽

Future Research ◽

Morphological Identification ◽

Native Plant ◽

Nectar Feeding

Background Intense landscaping often alters the plant composition in urban areas. Knowing which plant species that pollinators are visiting in urban areas is necessary for understanding how landscaping impacts biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. The cave nectar bat, Eonycteris spelaea, is an important pollinator for many plants and is often recorded in human-dominated habitats. Previous studies of the diet of E. spelaea relied on morphological identification of pollen grains found in faeces and on the body of bats and by necessity disregarded other forms of digested plant material present in the faeces (i.e., plant juice and remnants). The main objective of this study was to examine the diet of the nectarivorous bat, E. spelaea, roosting in an urban cave at Batu Caves, Peninsular Malaysia by identifying the plant material present in the faeces of bats using DNA metabarcoding. Methods Faeces were collected under the roost of E. spelaea once a week from December 2015 to March 2016. Plant DNA was extracted from the faeces, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified at ITS2 and rbcL regions and mass sequenced. The resultant plant operational taxonomic units were searched against NCBI GenBank for identification. Results A total of 55 species of plants were detected from faeces of E. spelaea including Artocarpus heterophyllus, Duabanga grandiflora and Musa spp. which are likely to be important food resources for the cave nectar bat. Discussion Many native plant species that had not been reported in previous dietary studies of E. spelaea were detected in this study including Bauhinia strychnoidea and Urophyllum leucophlaeum, suggesting that E. spelaea remains a crucial pollinator for these plants even in highly disturbed habitats. The detection of many introduced plant species in the bat faeces indicates that E. spelaea are exploiting them, particularly Xanthostemon chrysanthus, as food resources in urban area. Commercial food crops were detected from all of the faecal samples, suggesting that E. spelaea feed predominantly on the crops particularly jackfruit and banana and play a significant role in pollination of economically important plants. Ferns and figs were also detected in the faeces of E. spelaea suggesting future research avenues to determine whether the ‘specialised nectarivorous’ E. spelaea feed opportunistically on other parts of plants.

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Public Perceptions of Urban Green Spaces: Convergences and Divergences

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities ◽

10.3389/frsc.2021.755313 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Shah Md. Atiqul Haq ◽

Mohammad Nazrul Islam ◽

Ankita Siddhanta ◽

Khandaker Jafor Ahmed ◽

Mohammed Thanvir Ahmed Chowdhury

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Public Support ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Green Spaces ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Adaptation And Mitigation

In the context of rapid climate change, it is important to understand public perceptions of urban green spaces (UGSs), because green spaces have enormous potential as instruments for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and because the development of such spaces both requires and benefits from public support. This article attempts, through an extensive literature review, to understand convergences and divergences in perceptions of urban green spaces (UGSs) of city dwellers around the world and to identify gaps in the existing research. Additionally, the article explores research into the benefits associated with urban green spaces, including health (e.g., physical and mental), social (e.g., social networks and social relationships), economic (e.g., employment and income generation), and environmental (e.g., ecosystem services and biodiversity). This article further seeks to identify the extent to which urban residents have been found to perceive the roles UGSs can play in climate change adaptation and mitigation, and cultural exchange. Based on studies conducted in different countries over the past decade, this paper integrates environmental, social, cultural, and economic aspects of urban greening to provide insight into the similarities and differences in perceptions of urban green spaces and suggest approaches to building climate change resilient urban communities. This paper finds justification for: encouraging the use of integrated, multidisciplinary approaches, using innovative tools, for both the study and practical development of UGSs; conducting a greater number of studies of newer urban areas in developing countries; and considering the diverse disadvantages as well as the advantages of UGSs in order to support the continued development and expansion of this critical climate-friendly infrastructure. The more that residents' perceptions of and attitudes toward UGSs are incorporated into the design of such spaces, the more successful they will be at providing the myriad benefits they have the potential to offer.

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Distribution and Morphometrical Variations of Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) In Urban and Forest Areas of Penang Island, Malaysia

Journal of Tropical Resources and Sustainable Science (JTRSS) ◽

10.47253/jtrss.v4i1.586 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Suhaila Ab Hamid ◽

Mohammad Sharifuddin Salleh ◽

Kumara Thevan ◽

Nur Aida Hashim

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Urban Area ◽

Body Length ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stingless Bees ◽

Botanical Garden ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Stingless Bee ◽

Forest Area ◽

Significant Difference

Stingless bees from four different places in Penang, northern peninsular Malaysia includingUniversiti Sains Malaysia campus(USM), Botanical Garden, Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang weresampled randomly and identified. A total of six species of stingless bee were successfully recorded; Heterotrigona itama, Lepidotrigona terminata, Tetrigona apicalis, Tetragonula iridipennis, Tetragonula laeviceps, and Tetragonula pagdeni. Heterotrigona itama is the most abundance species in both urban and forest area. Their hive can be found in all study areas. The results showed that Balik Pulau (forest) had the most diverse stingless bee species (5 species) compared to other selected sites. Morphometrical studies comprising fifteen characters of H.itama were measured. There were significant difference for H. itama body length and appendages between samples collected from urban and forest areas. H.itama in forest areas have larger body size compared to those in the urban area. Overall, stingless bees in urban areas was less diverse compared to forest area

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