Kesedaran awam terhadap pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan alam semula jadi: Kes Taman Wetland, Putrajaya (Public awareness of the preservation and conservation of the natural environment: The case of Taman Wetland, Putrajaya)

Abstract

Ekoran dari kesedaran tentang impak positif kepada kualiti hidup manusia daripada pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan alam semula jadi, beberapa kawasan telah dibangunkan sebagai tapak pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan bagi meningkatkan biodiversiti dan integriti ekosistem flora dan fauna. Namun begitu, aktiviti pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan lazimnya kurang mendapat perhatian, kerjasama dan komitmen awam dan swasta kerana ianya tidak memberikan imbuhan dan keuntungan material secara langsung dan berlipat ganda. Kajian ini mentaksir kesedaran awam terhadap usaha pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan alam semula jadi Taman Wetland Putrajaya, sebuah tasik buatan manusia pertama dan terbesar di Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif dan kualitatif melalui 30 borang soal selidik dan dua temubual mendalam informan utama. Secara keseluruhannya, hasil kajian mendapati bahawa masih ramai yang tidak mengetahui fungsi sebenar Taman Wetland kepada pembangunan Putrajaya. Justeru, terdapat beberapa advokasi penambahbaikan infrastruktur, pengurusan dan penglibatan komuniti setempat supaya tanggungjawab ini tidak terserah selamanya kepada institusi kerajaan semata-mata.

Katakunci: advokasi alam sekitar, alam semulajadi, kesedaran alam sekitar, pemeliharaan alam semulajadi, pemuliharaan alam semulajadi, pengurusan alam sekitar

Realising the positive impacts of preserving and conserving the natural environment on peoples’ quality of life certain areas have been developed as preservation and conservation sites of the natural environment in an effort to enhance the biodiversity and ecological integrity of local flora and fauna. However, such activities did not normally attract much attention, cooperation and commitment of both the the general public and the private sector as they did not bring in direct and substantial material benefits and profits. This study gauged public awareness of the preservation and conservation of Taman Wetland Putrajaya, the first and largest man-made lakes in Malaysia. It was based on the questionnaire returns of 30 respondents and in-depth interviews of two key informants. Overall, the study found that there were still many who did not know about the exact ecological functions of the Putrajaya wetland. Thus, several aspects of improvements were advocated with respect to infrastructure, management and local community involvement so that the entire environmental preservation and conservation responsibility of the wetland would not rest solely and permanently on the shoulders of government institutions.

Keywords: environmental advocacy, environmental awareness, environmental conservation, environmental management, environmental preservation, natural environment