Environmental Conservation

What is Environmental Conservation?

Environmental conservation is the act of conserving or saving our natural resources through careful management. This means we can use the resources but wisely and responsibly. Examples: reducing your waste, saving trees, recycling, using renewable resources that don't deplete our natural resources. 

Don't get confused with habitat or wildlife conservation. That is similar, but pertains to animals. Also, preservation is different. When we preserve we strictly don't use it at all. when we put in in a simple context, it can be describe on how we protect our environment by using certain strategies that may help it to sustain in the future. 

Tapir - endangered species in Malaysia

What is has to do with sustainable?

Well, as the environmental is a part of sustainable framework, it does play an important role in the sustainable matter. Environmental conservation is important because if we use up our natural resources we will eventually run out of them. Take forests and plants for example. Without forests and plants there is no oxygen for us to breathe. the forest is also is important to act as the filter which may filter any sound, small yet dangerous particles in the air, and also may serve as the source of the water reservoir in many places, especially in the tropical countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil.

In Malaysia context? 

In the context of Malaysia, the role of protecting the environmental is bestow upon many government agencies like Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar),  Jabatan Perhilitan, and also some prominent NGOs such as Sahabat Alam and WWF. the main functions of these agencies and NGOs are to manage, observe and protect the enviroment especially our huge forest reserve from being destroyed in the wake up "urbanization" all over the nation nowadays. they are also play an important role in observing any development in Malaysia, whether it is impacting the environment directly or indirectly.

For an example, in the planning process in Malaysia, the planners or the developers of any development project (especaially housing) are compulsory to perform an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to estimate and analyze the impact of the development to the surrounding environment AND if if does so much damage to the environment such as taking up almost half of the hill for the high rise housing development, the project may be suspended as it may ruin the entire ecosystem in the area. It is feared that without a proper study about the EIA on the proposed development area, many devastating impacts may occur in the future. Malaysian could never forget the Highland Tower tragedy over a decade ago. 

The role of PLANNER?

Here come the saviour~! A good planner is a planner that take consideration of the enviroment, social and economy impact of any development before the project is implemented. this is very important to ensure that not only the planner is responsible for the completion of the project, they are also are responsible for the impact of the development to the surrounding nature. It is very important for the planner to minimize the impact of the development to create such a HARMONY situation where human, built environment and natural environment can coexist. 

Be fair please? 

As a conclusion, the natural conservation is very important for our future. Not only because it may sustain our food, drink and oxygen supply but what is more important is how we manage to make the environment as a part of our life, how we integrate them into our development and ultimately what we are going to show for the future generation. 

"what we are doing today is what the future generation think about us."

=)