Globally, rapid urban expansion has caused green spaces in urban areas to decline considerably. In this study, the rapid expansion of three Southeast Asia cities were considered, namely, Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Metro Manila, Philippines. This study evaluates the changes in spatial and temporal patterns of urban areas and green space structure in the three cities over the last two decades. Land use land cover (LULC) maps of the cities (1988/1989, 1999 and 2014) were developed based on 30-m resolution satellite images. The changes in the landscape and spatial structure were analysed using change detection, landscape metrics and statistical analysis. The percentage of green space in the three cities reduced in size from 45% to 20% with the rapid expansion of urban areas over the 25-year period. In Metro Manila and Jakarta, the proportion of green space converted to urban areas was higher in the initial 1989 to 1999 period than over the latter 1999 to 2014 period. Significant changes in green space structure were observed in Jakarta and Metro Manila. Green space gradually fragmented and became less connected and more unevenly distributed. These changes were not seen in Kuala Lumpur City. Overall, the impact of spatial structure of urban areas and population density on green space is higher in Jakarta and Metro Manila when this is compared to Kuala Lumpur. Thus, the results have the potential to clarify the relative contribution of green space structure especially for cities in Southeast Asia where only a few studies in urban areas have taken place.

Malaysia is one of the most successful developing countries in term of economic growth and stable politic conditions. Rapid economic transition and increasing of urban population will reflect the escalation of solid waste generation. In fact, it has become a threatened to human habitat nowadays as well as one of the critical challenges in sustainable development. Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia has experiencing a transition since 1960 until official solid waste management legislation is fully implemented in 2011. This transition shows the Malaysian government is committed to strive towards effective municipal solid waste management. The objective of this concept paper is to give an insight towards sustainable municipal solid waste management in Malaysia through brief discussion of municipal solid waste definition, characteristic, practices and policies.

The National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) was introduced in 2007 under the Act 672. The execution of NSWMP involves stakeholders from various government agencies and a collaboration with the private sectors. Despite the initiatives taken by the stakeholders, the objectives of NSWMP failed to materialise. One of the major constraints is weak governance among stakeholders with regards to the NSWMP implementation. This paper will explore the good governance practices implemented by the stakeholders. Identifying the current good governance practices implemented by the stakeholders is crucial as it will serve as a guideline to improve good governance practice in the future. An exploratory research approach is applied in this study through in-depth interviews with several government agencies and concessionaires involved in the NSWMP implementation. A total of six respondents took part in this study. The findings of this study show that there are several good governance practices implemented in policy promotion, participation of stakeholders, and capacity enhancement programme for the staff. This study also proposed some points on good governance practices in the context of policy promotion and staff development. A paradigm shift by the stakeholders is imperative so as to enhance the good governance practice in NSWMP implementation towards an efficient solid waste management in Malaysia.

This study focuses on developing a sustainable solid waste management system at Pondok institution using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Besides that, the types of solid waste generated were determined. Three alternatives were underlined, which are composting, recycling, and both composting and recycling. This research utilised the convenience sampling method, where a constructive questionnaire was used as a research instrument. An online questionnaire with detailed descriptions was distributed to two (2) Pondok institutions in Kelantan. After that, empirical research using the AHP method was carried out to find the priority weights of alternatives to develop a sustainable solid waste management system in Pondok institution. There are two significant findings in this research. This research revealed the types of solid waste generated by Pondok institutions that are food waste/farm waste, plastics, papers, metal and aluminium tin, and glass. The highest types of solid waste generated are organic waste, and the least is glass. Besides that, this research discovered the most appropriate sustainable solid waste management system alternative to be implemented in Pondok institutions, which is composting and recycling. Developing a sustainable solid waste management system will reduce excessive solid waste generation, reduce space for dumping sites, and overcome environmental problems.

Antifungal Activity of Selected Malaysia’s Local Medicinal Plants Against Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Fungi

This study aims to explore the understanding and practices of the rural community on sustainable living in Jeli District, Kelantan. A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study by using an in-depth interview. A total of 36 respondents from three (3) locations (Jeli, Kuala Balah, and Batu Melintang) participated in this study. This findings show the rural community of Jeli has a modest understanding of a sustainable lifestyle. Besides that, several sustainable initiatives are practiced by the Jeli community, like using energy-saving products and recycling. However, the number of people involved in any sustainable lifestyle is small as compared to the total population. However, the initiatives that have been conducted could be motivation for others to start practicing sustainable living.