Environmental Education in Ayer Hitam...
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PertanikaJ. Trap. Agric. Sci. 22(2): 213 - 215 (1999) ISSN: 1511-3701 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Environmental Education in Ayer Hitam Forest AHMAD ISMAIL Department of Biology Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia EXTENDED ABSTRACT Introduction Public have been informed on the importance of forests. Protected forests are usually rich in their diversity of flora and fauna, serve as a source of fresh water, contain valuable prod- ucts such as timber or wood, wildlife, nature and medicinal product as well as having cul- tural values. They are also natural laboratories for education purposes, climate and ecological balance, etc. The public's understanding about the forest is still inadequate. A lot of things can be learned from the forests besides their serv- ices to human life. A lot of people appreciate the importance of forests but they do not fully understand the forests thus they always forget or are not confident to advise the appropriate authorities when forest disturbances take place. They accept them as part of the development that they need to undergo without considering the long term impact on their local environ- ment or surrounding areas. Enhancement of public knowledge on for- ests can be done through many activities namely environmental education. Environmental educa- tion is not a new discipline but a new dimension in the education system (Palmer and Neal 1994). All levels of society should be involved in envi- ronmental education programmes. Ayer Hitam Forest is one of the places that can be a venue for environmental educa- tion for Klang Valley and nearby areas. This forest reserve can be used by school children, youth, teachers or senior citizen to have greater understanding of the forest and its function to human life beside recreation activities. This paper is to describe briefly the activities on environmental education in Ayer Hitam For- est. What is Environmental Education? UNESCO-UNEP (1994) has identified the following definitions for environmental education: According to evada Conference of the Interna- tional Union for the Conservation of ature and National Resources in 1970, environmental education is the process of recognising values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand and ap- preciate the interrelatedness among man, his culture and his biophysical surroundings. Envi- ronmental education also entails practice in decision-making and self-formulating of code of behaviour about issues concerning environmen- tal quality. Organisation of American States Conference on Education and Environment in the Americas, 1971, defined environmental education as the activity that involves teaching about values judge- ment and the ability to think clearly about com- plex problems - about the environment - which are as political, economical, and philosophical as they are technical. In the United States Public Law 91-516, the Environmental Education Act states environmen- tal education as the educational process dealing with man's relationship with his natural and man-made surroundings, and including the rela- tion of population, pollution, resources alloca- tion and depletion, conservation, transportation, technology and urban and rural planning to the total human environment. From the above definitions, it is clear that people have different opinions on the environmental education leading to conservation and protection of the forests. In the Malaysian context environmental education should be more
Transcript of Environmental Education in Ayer Hitam...
PertanikaJ. Trap. Agric. Sci. 22(2): 213 - 215 (1999) ISSN: 1511-3701© Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
Environmental Education in Ayer Hitam Forest
AHMAD ISMAILDepartment of Biology
Universiti Putra Malaysia43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Introduction
Public have been informed on the importanceof forests. Protected forests are usually rich intheir diversity of flora and fauna, serve as asource of fresh water, contain valuable products such as timber or wood, wildlife, natureand medicinal product as well as having cultural values. They are also natural laboratoriesfor education purposes, climate and ecologicalbalance, etc. The public's understanding aboutthe forest is still inadequate. A lot of things canbe learned from the forests besides their services to human life. A lot of people appreciatethe importance of forests but they do not fullyunderstand the forests thus they always forgetor are not confident to advise the appropriateauthorities when forest disturbances take place.They accept them as part of the developmentthat they need to undergo without consideringthe long term impact on their local environment or surrounding areas.
Enhancement of public knowledge on forests can be done through many activities namelyenvironmental education. Environmental education is not a new discipline but a new dimensionin the education system (Palmer and Neal 1994).All levels of society should be involved in environmental education programmes.
Ayer Hitam Forest is one of the placesthat can be a venue for environmental education for Klang Valley and nearby areas. Thisforest reserve can be used by school children,youth, teachers or senior citizen to have greaterunderstanding of the forest and its function tohuman life beside recreation activities. Thispaper is to describe briefly the activities onenvironmental education in Ayer Hitam For
est.
What is Environmental Education?
UNESCO-UNEP (1994) has identified thefollowing definitions for environmentaleducation:
According to evada Conference of the International Union for the Conservation of atureand National Resources in 1970, environmentaleducation is the process of recognising valuesand clarifying concepts in order to develop skillsand attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the interrelatedness among man, hisculture and his biophysical surroundings. Environmental education also entails practice indecision-making and self-formulating of code ofbehaviour about issues concerning environmental quality.
Organisation of American States Conference onEducation and Environment in the Americas,1971, defined environmental education as theactivity that involves teaching about values judgement and the ability to think clearly about complex problems - about the environment - whichare as political, economical, and philosophicalas they are technical.
In the United States Public Law 91-516, theEnvironmental Education Act states environmental education as the educational process dealingwith man's relationship with his natural andman-made surroundings, and including the relation of population, pollution, resources allocation and depletion, conservation, transportation,technology and urban and rural planning to thetotal human environment.
From the above definitions, it is clear thatpeople have different opinions on theenvironmental education leading to conservationand protection of the forests. In the Malaysiancontext environmental education should be more
AHMAD ISMAIL
organised in order to develop uniformity in theunderstanding of the environmental education,appreciation, attitudes and responsibilities of thepublic on the conservation and protection ofthe forest.
Why do We Need Environmental Education?
Environmental education is to develop a clearawareness of social, political and ecologicalinterdependence in urban and rural areas andeconomic concern on the environment, to makeevery person acquire the knowledge, values,attitudes, commitments and skills needed toprotect and improve the environment and tocreate new patterns of behaviour of individuals,groups, and society as a whole towards theenvironment.
Public need knowledge on the environmentto understand about the environment and try todevelop the understal\ding of incidencessuch as flash floods, land slides, water shortage,climate changes, changes of water quality,increase of temperature, new diseases,imbalance in the ecosystem, biodiversity lossand pollution.
Through environmental education, thepublic will be more knowledgeable and confidentto give views before they are faced with anenvironmen tal crisis, or motivated towardsfinding the solutions to the environmentalproblems.
Example oj Environmental Education Activities inAyer Hitam Forest
Environmental Awareness Programme is veryimportant to develop public awareness andunderstanding of the processes and functions ofthe ecosystem. By using special modules,participants are taught to understand the role offorests and the importance of conservation orprotection. Man-environment interrelationshipcovering different aspects of natural and sociocultural environments are important to beintroduced to the public. Among the participantsinvolved in the Environmental AwarenessProgramme in Ayer Hitam Forest are adult publicfrom different backgrounds, teachers (trainingthe trainers) and school children. Examples ofEnvironmental Education Modules for Trainersare ecological foundation, conception ofawareness (culture, religion, economic, political,etc.), investigation and evaluation, andenvironmental action skills.
Ayer Hitam Forest can also be a naturallaboratory for a school children. A special modulecan be designed based on the school curriculumto make teaching of sciences easier and moreinteresting to the students. This includes physicaland life sciences. The module should alsoconsider the teaching methodologies, activities,experiments and evaluation techniques.Teachers/supervisors need to have sufficientgrounding in science especially in ecology.
Why Ayer Hitam Forest?
Ayer Hitam Forest is unique because it is theonly forest left in the Klang Valley besides the10.6 ha Bukit enas Forest Reserve. Its locationis strategic in the Multimedia Super Corridor(MSC) and is surrounded by rapid developmentareas. Its location in the Klang Valley and MSCcan serve many people locally and as well astourists. Ayer Hitam Forest is surrounded byhigh density population and heavy anthropogenicactivities. Ayer Hitam Forest is reported toaccommodate a high diversity of flora and faunaand has important aesthetic, economic, medicinaland other socio-environmental values. Since itslocation is unique and being the only forest inthe area, it deserves to be protected and usednot only for biodiversity concerns and researchbut also for education and tourism. In education,the forest can serve as a natural laboratory. Theforest can also be used for extension servicessuch as environmental camp and motivation/team building programme.
CONCLUSION
Knowledge on the environmentand related problems
Improve Awareness/Understanding/Attitudes/Skills on the environment
Action by the public
Participation/Safe Environment/Avoid or minimised Environmental
Disaster
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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION I AIR HITAM FOREST
Ayer Hitam Forest can be a centre for publicenvironmental education, natural laboratory forschool children in the Klang Valley, and touristattraction place. With these activities, Ayer HitamForest can serve the public directly and developself generating funding besides protecting theforest.
REFERENCES.
PALMER, J and P. NEAL. 1994. The handbook ofenvironmental education. Rontledge London267p.
UNESCO-UNEP. 1994. International Environmental Education Programme. Environmental Education Series 42.
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