A pilot study for sustainable ecotourism at Gunong Stong State Park, Kelantan using Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) management framework

Ecotourism plays a vital role in tourism industries and has become one of the effective practices towards conservation effort in the natural environment activity. Thus, it is important to know the concept of carrying capacity issues applied to the area pertaining to the visitors’ experiences, to ensure the benefits it brings to the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability of the area. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship of visitors’ experience and the protection of the natural resources at Gunung Stong State Park (GSSP) using the management framework of Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP). This approach provided a set of management framework in order to manage the sustainable ecotourism in GSSP without abandoning the good manner of visitor experiences. A total of 35 respondents have participated in this pilot study and our result showed that the tourists’ satisfaction towards the GSSP was at moderate level. Therefore, the GSSP was suitable for nature tourism attraction. However, a proper management of the park is required whilst the biodiversity there is still intact. The management of GSSP can be further improved by instilling awareness among visitors in order to sustain the ecotourism activity, and attract more tourists besides improving their experience throughout their visit

Visitor Willingness to Pay using Travel Cost Method at Taman Negeri Gunung Stong, Kuala Krai, Kelantan

Forest Park Recreation is a place that offers a vast experience and scenic views to visitors. However, there isn't a proper market transaction for ecosystem services, so it might not be reflected in market transactions. Therefore, it's critical to consider travel and time expenses when determining what individuals value in the absence of a market price. This study aims to estimate the visitor's willingness to pay for forest park recreation using the Travel Cost Method (TCM) at Taman Negeri Gunung Stong, Kuala Krai, Kelantan. A convenience sampling technique is employed in this study. The data was collected from 379 respondents using face-to-face interviews with the visitors who entered the park. The TCM result revealed that the recreational value at TNGS is RM 1,286,531.80 per year, with a mean of the willingness to pay value is RM4.34 per visitor. The regression analysis results indicated that gender, age, income, total travel cost and time access to the site are the variable effects on the willingness to pay and visit people to the forest park. The findings of this study could be an effective instrument for raising the standard of environmental services and enhancing the infrastructure and services in the studied area

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management

Antibacterial performance enhancement using hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents: COSMO-RS prediction, experimental validation, and synergistic action with antibiotics

Microbial infection is a hazardous and challenging clinical problem that has attracted considerable attention recently, primarily owing to the noticeable rise in antimicrobial resistance. To address the medical requirements to encounter this dilemma, we present hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs) that combine experimental research and computational prediction; conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS). Mentholbased HDESs were successfully obtained when mixed with fatty acids, and their thermal profiles were analyzed. The HDES systems and their synergistic effects demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with DES 4 (menthol:decanoic acid) exhibiting the highest bactericidal activity at a molar ratio of 1:5. The interaction between the HDESs and bacterial cell wall structural compounds was confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results revealed a favorable concurrence between the projected and empirical outcomes, indicating that DES 4 exhibited bacteriostatic properties and could be a viable substitute for managing bacterial infections of diverse origins. In addition, the synergistic effect of DES 4 and tetracycline showed promising potential. The successful integration of experimental and computational approaches in this study also sets a precedent for the rational design of future antimicrobial agents and opens new avenues for tackling other clinical challenges

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management