Kemusnahan alam sekitar dan kepupusan biodiversiti telah menjadi suatu isu yang sangat membimbangkan. Keterancaman biodiversiti ini dijangka akan berterusan dan meningkat pada masa akan datang jika tiada tindakan serius yang diambil oleh semua pihak berkepentingan. Kemerosotan dan kepupusan sumber semula jadi yang menjejaskan perkhidmatan ekosistem bukan sahaja menjadi isu dan cabaran di peringkat global, malah turut memberi impak kepada Malaysia. Oleh itu, kajian mengenai tahap pengetahuan komuniti dan sumbangan perkhidmatan ekosistem perlu dilakukan dengan memfokuskan kepada empat kategori perkhidmatan ekosistsem iaitu perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan pembekalan, kawal atur, sokongan, dan budaya. Sejumlah 249 borang soal selidik telah diedarkan secara rawak kepada anggota kuminiti di kawasan Kuala Sepetang, Perak. Data yang diperoleh melalui borang soal selidik ini, dianalisa dengan menggunakan kaedah Indeks Kepentingan Relatif (RII) dalam menentukan kedudukan item dan kategori. Kajian mendapati tahap pengetahuan komuniti setempat terhadap keempat-empat kategori perkhidmatan ekosistem adalah baik iaitu perkhidmatan pembekalan, perkhidmatan kawal atur, perkhidmatan sokongan dan perkhidmatan budaya. Sumbangan perkhidmatan ekosistem sokongan menunjukkan sumbangan terbesar dalam kehidupan harian penduduk dan secara tidak langsung membantu dalam kelangsungan hidup. Alam sekitar semula jadi terbukti menyediakan perkhidmatan ekosistem yang sangat penting dan menjadi elemen yang utama dalam kehidupan harian komuniti tempatan. Perkhidmatan ekosistem bukan hanya memberi perkhidmatan kepada manusia tetapi juga menjadi sistem bantuan kehidupan yang berkualiti. Kata kunci: alam sekitar, sumber semula jadi, komuniti, indeks kepentingan relatif, perkhidmatan ekosistem, pengetahuan Environmental destruction and biodiversity extinction have become an issue of grave concern. These threats on biodiversity are expected to continue and increase in the future if no serious actions are taken by stakeholders. Degradation and extinction of natural resources that affect the ecosystem services is not just a global issue and challenge at the global level, it also has an impact on Malaysia. Therefore, there is a need to study on the level of knowledge within the community on the contribution of ecosystem services focusing on four aspect of ecosystem services such as supply, regulatory, support and culture. A total of 249 questionnaire forms were distributed randomly to community members in the area of Kuala Sepetang, Perak. Data obtained through this survey were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method in determining the position of items and categories. The study showed that the level of knowledge among the local community on the four ecosystem service categories are good such as supply service, regulatory service, support service and culture service. The support ecosystem service contributed the most towards the daily life of the community and indirectly enhanced their livelihood. Natural environment is proven providing a very important ecosystem service and it is a vital element of the local community daily life. Ecosystem services not only serve people but also become a quality life support system. Keywords: environment, natural resources, community, relative important index, ecosystem services, knowledge

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common causes of disability in childhood, leading to functional limitations and poor nutritional status. Families with CP children face challenges in providing proper care. Thus, accessibility of CP patients to health facilities is important to ensure that they can maintain regular visits to health facilities for proper treatment and care. The current study aimed to map the spatial distribution of CP in Johor, Malaysia and measure the accessibility of CP patients to nearby hospitals, health clinics and community-based rehabilitation centres. The study is based on CP cases in 2017 obtained from the Department of Social Welfare, Malaysia and analysed using the average nearest neighbour, buffer analysis and Kernel Density Estimation. Results indicate that there is generally good access to health care services for many of the CP children in Johor, but for 25% of those living more than 10 km away from the health clinics or community-based rehabilitation centres, regular visits can be a problem. This information should be used for targeted intervention and planning for health care strategies. Furthermore, information on hospital accessibility of CP children would allow for planning of proper and regular treatment for these patients. The study has shown that it is possible to improve the understanding of the distribution of CP cases by integrating spatial analysis using geographical information systems without relying on official information about the density of populations.

Urban encroachment into the peri-urban areas has blurred the borders between urban and rural areas. Thus, the urban growth boundary (UGB) has been used to encourage the sustainable development of cities and improve long-term planning efficiency. Studying the understanding of the UGB concept in ensuring sustainable development in Malaysia would be beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the perception and understanding of the UGB concept and function to achieve sustainable urban development. An online survey was conducted involving 82 experts, which comprised planners from PLANMalaysia and academicians in the field of urban planning. Results indicated that the perception of the UGB score was significantly greater by 1.16 than the normal score of 3, which indicated that the experts agreed that UGB could improve the urban development. The findings also indicated that the existing planning policy and inclusion of UGB had protected agricultural and natural land; however, stricter and tighter borderless development should be conducted.

This study examines the precipitation distribution across the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, specifically focussing on Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang over the period from 1981 to 2019. This analysis seeks to comprehend the alterations in rainfall patterns resulting from climate change and weather phenomena, including El Niño and La Niña. Precipitation data are sourced from the Aphrodite dataset, with statistical analysis incorporating indices such as Consecutive Dry Days (CDD) and Consecutive Wet Days (CWD). The research indicates a notable rise in the total annual rainfall in northern regions, including Kelantan and Terengganu, particularly during the La Niña phenomenon. Conversely, southern regions like Pahang exhibit greater susceptibility to the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in drought conditions and diminished rainfall. The visual analysis results, featuring graphs and Geography Information System (GIS) maps, illustrate the temporal and spatial variations in rainfall distribution, highlighting a trend of increasing maximum dry days in Pahang and a decrease in dry days in Kelantan. This study offers significant insights into the risks associated with floods and droughts, as well as their effects on water resources, agriculture, and the livelihoods of local communities. The findings presented here serve as a valuable reference for the development of water resource management and disaster mitigation strategies to address the challenges posed by climate change.

Climate change is one of the world's most today’s critical issues. Change is primarily the result of human activities and natural processes. This happens because some people do not understand the concept of climate change, which is the primary factor contributing to this phenomenon. As an outcome, this study was carried out to identify the profile and awareness of farmers regarding climate change and examine the efforts and roles played by agencies in the event of a disaster caused by climate change. Purposive sampling and snowball methods were used to select 80 respondents to fill out the survey form. According to the results of a study, men outnumber women (73.8%) among farmers in the state of Kelantan (26.3%). Farmers' awareness is also high, as shown by the mean value for each item is nearest to 5.0. A high degree of awareness regarding climate change will cause farmers to appreciate, preserve, and conserve natural resources that are extremely valuable in their lives, particularly in terms of well-being.

Sedimentation in dam reservoirs can cause problems that lead to loss of storage capacity and decrease in the flood control volume. Hydrosuction sediment removal is one of the methods used to remove sediments from within a reservoir using the suction energy provided by the effective head. In this study, a new tool has been developed by attaching the reservoir to a suction pipe intake point and using a simple fan blade mechanism for the hydrosuction sediment removal system. This mechanism is used to create a vortex flow to suspend the settled particles. This paper investigated the effects of the fan blade angles, effective head, and inlet height from the surface of layer particles on the performance and efficiency of fan blades hydrosuction sediment removal (FBHSSR) and hydrosuction sediment removal (HSSR) systems based on the geometric scour hole parameters. Results from the experimental tests indicated the effectiveness of the FBHSSR system, with the fan blade angles of 30°, 45°, and 60° leading to approximately 800%, 200%, and 117%, respectively, removed particles greater than those of the HSSR system. Furthermore, the maximum depth and diameter of the scour hole were increased by 206%, 200%, and 137% and 135, 112%, and 117%, respectively, for each angle. The effective head or experiment time also enhanced system performance by increasing the suction discharge, but no change was observed in terms of efficiency. The critical inlet heights for the FBHSSR and HSSR systems are 1 time and 2.54 times, respectively, more than the diameter of the suction pipe. Thus, it can be concluded that using fan blades in HSSR systems is a good approach to improve the properties of the scour hole.