Forest certification in Malaysia: current status and challenges

Forest certification has two purposes, firstly to certify standards of forest management (forest management certification), and secondly, to certify that timber products are made from wood sourced from the certified forests (chain-of-custody (CoC) certification). Forest certification in Malaysia started with the implementation of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) in 2001. This paper highlights the current status of the Malaysian forest industry’s participation in forest certification and trade of certified timber products. To date, about 5.39 million ha of forests in Malaysia are certified. The largest area is Pahang FMU (1,524,827 ha), followed by Perak FMU (991,436 ha) and Sabah (557,452 ha). As of 2015, slightly more than 500 firms are CoC certificate holders, thus participation in CoC certification is considered low as this number is much lower than the number of forest product manufacturers and traders in the country. The European market has been the major export destination for MTCS-certified timber products, and more recently other markets including the Middle East, USA, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa have accepted these timber products. Even though export of these timber products is increasing, their share in Malaysia’s timber products export is not significant. The greatest challenge is to increase market acceptance of MTCC’s certification scheme and thus expanding the market for MTCS-certified timber products

Characteristics of climbers of Gunung Tahan, Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

The objectives of this paper are to present the profile and motives of the climbers to Gunung Tahan’s summit. The respondents, recruited during an on-site and off-site survey, were asked to provide some socio-demographic characteristics, their previous mountain climbing experiences and motives for trekking up the summit by filling up a self-administered questionnaire. Novice climbers formed the majority of the 336 respondents recruited during the survey, followed by experienced climbers and mountain guides. Most of the respondents were young adult males, especially students from the local universities. The respondents rated the “to be close to nature” motive as the most important reason for trekking up the summit of Gunung Tahan

Consumers' willingness to pay for environmentally certified timber products: a comparison between 2003 and 2012

Consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) price premiums for environmentally certified timber products (ECTPs) is a major contentious issue in producing and marketing of such timber product. This paper compares findings of two surveys conducted in 2003 and 2012 that examined WTP, a price premium for an ECTP among consumers in Malaysia. The purpose was to determine if there were changes in consumers' WTP after almost a decade when forest management and timber product certification was first introduced in the country. A similar base price for the timber product made of non-certified timbers was presented to the respondents in both surveys. The percentage of respondents who indicated a WTP a price premium has increased from 38% in 2003 to 70.5% in 2012. The average price premium the respondents would be willing to pay has slightly increased from 14.4% to16.5% in 2003 and 2012, respectively. The findings seem to show an increasing consumer support and WTP for ECTPs in Malaysia

Gunung Tahan Trail: a historical review

There are still a lot of information on the history of Gunung Tahan Trail which remain unknown to the Malaysian public; some were buried with the demise of the elderly living around this mountain. This paper attempts to reveal the history of this famous trail which is located in Taman Negara in relation to the origin of its name, local belief and folklore of the mountain, colonial proposal for the establishment of grand hill station and early attempts to explore the mountain. Most of the data and information for this review were gathered from field notes and expedition reports published in various journals between 1880 and 1940. These information would be useful to Taman Negara Park Management in enriching recreational and nature tourism experiences among users of Gunung Tahan Trail

The effects of different natural environment influences on health and psychological well-being of people: a case study in Selangor

Background: People benefit from the recreational services provided by an urban corridor, urban park, and urban forest. Due to ongoing land-use interest and urban development, however, these natural environments are coming under increasing pressure. Simultaneously, the world is becoming increasingly urbanised, and living in cities has been linked to mental health issues. On the other hand, different natural environments are known to create healthier environments, and the need for effective restorative environments has never been greater. The purpose of the study was to compare the impacts of walking in different natural environments. Methods: I) Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve, II) Mutiara Damansara Recreational Park, and III) the Urban Green Corridor along Jalan PJU 7/2 were used as control study sites in this study. Each site was visited only once by the study participants (40 women and 40 men). Walking for 30 min was a part of the experiment. To identify the psychological effects of different natural environments, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS) were utilised. Results: In all three natural environments, the restorative effects were found to increase significantly. Conclusion: The overall conclusion of the field experiment is that being in an urban green corridor can also provide a refreshing environment. In terms of stress reduction among working adults, the recreational park is sufficient, while urban-forested areas are more effective in improving mental health by minimising stress, anxiety, and depression

Mountaineering and altitude sickness: a study of AMS prevalence among climbers of Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia

Introduction: Adventure tourism has become one of Malaysia’s most attractive tourism demands, and mountain climbing is rapidly becoming a popular recreational sport. Exploring mountain adventures offers a dynamic experience, preserving this fascinating activity, yet the climbers are exposed to the risk of altitude sickness, such as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of AMS and investigate the effects of high-altitude sickness on the climber profile associated with climbing at Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia. Methods:. The Lake Louise acute mountain sickness LLS score questionnaire collected 95 climber’s data at four different altitudes. SPO2 and Pulse rate was (PR) measured using a finger pulse oximeter. In a cohort study, AMS was measured on day one at 1866m (1st station), 3622m (2nd station), and day two at 3810m (3rd station), and 4095m (4th station). Results: At the altitude of 1866 (Timpohon Gate), the prevalence of AMS was 0%, 30% at 3622m (Laban Rata), 34.7% at 3810m (Sayat-Sayat), and 37.9% at 4095m (Low’s Peak). The overall prevalence of AMS was 37.9% and the majority of AMS cases were moderate in severity and the LLS score is significant with Pulse Rate and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SPO2). Conclusion: Concisely, this finding has triggered a need for consideration from multi agencies to enhance mountaineering guidance, especially for beginners or inexperienced hikers, for a suitable package for climbing attempts to reduce the incidence of AMS among Mount Kinabalu climbers

Preference for timber as a building material-a survey of homeowners in Bachok, Kelantan

Besides the construction industry, there are also private individuals who are involved in the construction of buildings especially residential building in the country. While the construction industry in Malaysia may not be keen in using timber and timber products, these individual homeowners would to a large extent have a choice of selecting the materials used in the construction of their residential units. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 496 homeowners aimed at determining their preference for timber as a building material for residential buildings. In general, the respondents have a positive attitude towards timber as a building material, but they are concerned of its price and availability, as well as its susceptibility to pest attacks. Only about a quarter of the respondents, and even among owners of timber houses, preferred timber as a building material. The main reasons for their choice are that timber houses are unique and comfortable. Durability, low price and availability of skilled labour are the reasons for most of the respondents to choose alternative building materials

The impact of outdoor education camp program in building resilience among university students

Resilience is gained through life experiences that local university students lack from a classroom environment. This study investigated the effect of outdoor education camp programs on the levels of resilience among Physical Education students from two selected universities in Malaysia. A questionnaire was utilized as the primary research tool in this study to assess the participants' perceptions and knowledge acquisition as well as their level of resilience toward the outdoor education camp programs. A total of 162 undergraduate students were studied using a pre-test and post-test approach and a modified version of the Connor-Davidson in a 25 items self-report scale. Analysis of paired t-test showed differences in factors involved in resilience variables, personal competence, instincts and tolerance of negative behavior, positive acceptance of change, control, and spiritual influence. The findings indicated a positive effect towards resilience upon completion of the 14-day outdoor education camp program. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was carried out to evaluate if participation in the outdoor education program influenced participants' perceived level of resilience. Overall, there were statistically significant increases in resilience levels from the pre-test to the post-test stage. These results lead to the need for in-depth research into the assessment of internal factors in an outdoor camp program to provide valuable information on the effect of the intervention and implications towards enhancing resilience of the participants in low to high-risk activities

Malaysian consumers' perceived importance and knowledge of household furniture materials.

Furniture is one of the common items found in a household. Consumers deciding on a household furniture purchase are usually overwhelmed with a range of shape, size, style colour and material choice. The objective of this paper is to investigate consumers' perceived importance and knowledge of materials used to manufacture household furniture. The type of materials preferred by the consumers was also identified. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data for the study. The respondents were recruited at four different sites in Peninsular Malaysia, two in urban and rural areas each, with the aim of obtaining a broad representation of the consumers. Results indicated that respondents rated the type of material a household furniture item is made of as an important purchase decision attribute. Female respondents generally rate material more importantly than males. Knowledge of the consumers, and subsequently their preference, of the material used to manufacture household furniture is mostly limited to wood and rattan

Projek Hijau @ Taman Botani Perdana

Buku Projek Hijau @ Taman Botani ini merupakan satu himpunan aktiviti yang boleh digunakan dalam perlaksanaan program pendidikan alam semulajadi di kawasan taman botani. Buku ini menggunakan tumbuh-tumbuhan sebagai topik utamanya manakala elemen- elemen seperti udara, tanah dan air diketengahkan sebagai elemen sokongan kepada pertumbuhan tumbuh-tumbuhan. Modul-modul ini dibangunkan dengan memberi tumpuan kepada proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran secara langsung dengan persekitaran semulajadinya. Dengan menggunakan Taman Botani Perdana Kuala Lumpur sebagai lokasi aktivitinya, sudah pasti pelaksanaan modul ini dapat memberi pemahaman tentang tumbuh-tumbuhan secara lebih mendalam dan pengalaman yang lebh bermakna kepada para peserta