Cabaran arah perubahan kini dalam geografi fizikal di Malaysia (The challenge of current trends of change in Malaysian physical geography)

Abstract

Tujuan kertas ini ialah untuk meninjau arahaliran perubahan kini dalam subdisiplin geografi fizikal seperti yang diamalkan di Jabatan Geografi Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dan di dunia luar, terutamanya di United Kingdom. Dalam pada menyerlahkan peripentingnya memanfaatkan kemahiran geoteknologi tercanggih dan terkini seperti teknologi komputer, satelait, GIS dan multi-media kertas ini merumuskan lima bentuk implikasi arahaliran perubahan kini tersebut kepada pengamalan geografi fizikal di Universiti Kebangsaan khususnya dan Malaysia umumnya: (1) kajian-kajian gunaan dan pengurusan boleh menjadi tempat pertemuan geografi fizikal dan geografi manusia; (2) ahli geografi fizikal perlu meningkatkan pengetahuan saintifik mereka demi mencapai kecemerlangan; (3) peri pentingnya georafi fizikal diperkasakan state of the art geotechnologies demi meningkatkan ketepatan penyukatan dan pemantauan; (4) perlunya kurikulum geografi fizikal di rombak supaya dapat memuatkan kaedah penyelidikan baru, kemahiran menyelesaikan masalah, pemikiran kritikal, dan etika terpuji; (5) perlunya diseimbangkan antara pendekatan menyeluruh (holism) dan pengkhususan (specialism) antara ketiga-tiga komponen utama geografi fizikal iaitu geomorfologi, kajiklim dan biogeografi.

Katakunci: GIS, geografi fizikal, geoteknologi, holisme, penderiaan jauh, pengkhususan

The purpose of this paper is to overview recent trends in physical geography as thought and practised in the Geography Department of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and outside it, in particular, the United Kingdom. While highlighting the blessings of state-of-the-art geotechnologies such as sophisticated computer, sattelite, GIS, and multi-media technologies the paper sums up a fivefold implications of the current trends on the teaching and practice of physical geography in Universiti Kebangsaan in particular, and in Malaysia in general: (1) applied and management studies become the meeting grounds of physical and human geographies; (2) physical geographers need to enhance their scientific acumen to achieve excellence; (3) the imperative of physical geography utilising state of the art geotechnologies to enhance measurement and monitoring precision; (4) the curriculum of physical geography needs to be restructured so as to accommodate new research methods, problem solving skills, critical thinking, and commendable ethics; and (5) the need to balance between holism and specialism with regard to geomorphology, climatology and biogeography.

Keywords: GIS, geotechnologies, holism, physical geography, remote sensing, specialism