AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE USAGE OF ELECTRONIC PLATFORM FOR CONSERVATION MARKETING AMONG EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRES (EEC) IN MALAYSIA

With limited funding, conservationists are far from able to assist all threatened species. Even though online marketing has been increasingly used by conservationists to raise funds and awareness on the need to reduce biodiversity loss, the major issue is reaching the target audience and influencing their behaviour, especially if the target audience is a profit-making entity. To date, a comprehensive theoretical investigation on online conservation marketing pertaining business expectation, preferences, experience and satisfaction is still in its infancy and remains unanswered. Therefore, to fulfil this gap, this qualitative study is executed, in which 19 in-depth interviews was adopted until data saturation is achieved. The participants are those who worked in relationship marketing field and have experienced online conservation marketing activities. The study explores and profiles the experiences and satisfaction of businesses based on their previous online conservation marketing and the expectation and preferences of businesses for future online conservation marketing. Based on the research findings, even before the first Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, many businesses in the country were involved in at least one online conservation marketing strategy with an Environmental Education Centre (EEC) and many were satisfied with the EEC online marketing strategies and services. However, most businesses have less expectations and low preferences towards the future online conservation marketing by the EEC. This study assists conservation organisations in retaining the financial support from businesses and enhancing public conservation awareness through businesses. This study is aligned with Malaysia National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) no 4, under Entry Point Project 4 (EPP 4) and also NKEA no 6, under EPP 12.

Visitor’s Perception About Orangutan Conservation In Indonesian Zoos

Zoos have four main roles namely conservation, research, education and recreation. Whether the existence of the zoo has succeeded in increasing or at least influencing people's perceptions of animal conservation should be investigated further. The research aimed to assess the image of the zoos and perception of the visitors about orangutan conservation. This study applied the questionnaire and methods to Indonesia zoo's, and examines the effect of the zoo at changing visitor's conservation awareness. The result showed that there were no significant difference acros the sites and between arrival dan departures. This could be caused by many reasons, for example the short visit time, minimal information obtained during the visit or the background of the visitors themselves.

Assessing Drivers of Forest Conservation in Simancuang Village Forest, West Sumatra

This study empirically assessed Social Forestry program implementation in Simancuang Village Forest or locally known as Hutan Nagari (HN) Simancuang in West Sumatra, Indonesia. We performed two analyses using primary and secondary data, namely propensity score matching to estimate the effects of the enactment of HN Simancuang in 2012 on forest cover loss and ordinal logistic regression (OLR) to predict the determinants of conservation awareness. The results of the forest cover analysis showed that forest cover loss in HN Simancuang between 2012 and 2019 was 0.038 percentage point lower than the adjacent protection forest. The relatively small impact was meaningful because although HN Simancuang is located much closer to settlements which increases the pressure on the forest, it could still maintain lower tree cover losses than the adjacent protection forest. This result indicated a certain degree of conservation awareness among HN Simancuang members, which prompted us to conduct a survey to 111 individuals from different households. To do this, we used the Ecosystem Services framework to conceptualise conservation awareness in HN Simancuang. Our OLR results showed that regulating and provisioning services of forests are the strong determinants of conservation awareness among the individuals in our sample. Our study indicates the need to implement social forestry program monitoring and evaluation, improve access to facilitation, and enhance agroforestry practice as the means to increase conservation awareness among forest-dwelling communities.

COWORKING SPACES IN CHINA: DEVELOPING A NEW STRATEGY OF REUSING INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE PROPERTIES UNDER SHARING ECONOMY

This paper investigates the spatial pattern and operating mechanism of coworking spaces based on existing practices in Shanghai with focus on the rising phenomenon of industrial heritage-based coworking spaces. The geographical distribution of the coworking clusters along the riverside of Huangpu River was analyzed refer to the abundant industrial properties remains, due to some historical reasons in modern history as well as local contribution in advancing creativity to support cultural-led regeneration. On the basis of the spatial analysis and value interpretation of those coworking spaces which retrofitted from industrial heritages, the paper proposes a conservative strategy in presenting the cultural and social value of the industrial heritages in coworking context, through the provision of underpinning urban identity and cultural meaning with contemporary social working style. To conclude, we discuss the applicability of the conservation-based strategy by highlighting its attributes in community base and corresponding advantages in cultivating conservation awareness grassrootly and innovatively in workplace, hoping to shed lights to further enhancement on exploring the urban philosophies under current governmental policies and political emphasis of sharing economy and urban renewal in China.

A map of South Africa’s perennial rivers. Non-perenn

<p>Maps can be many things: colourful, or dull; complex, or very simple; helpful, or very difficult to read. They also have the potential to support the public’s knowledge of environmental and social issues, and to lay out paths towards behavioural changes and conservation consciousness.</p> <p>This potential is already being explored in some parts of the world. For example, the <a href="https://greatlakesconnectivity.org/fishApp">FishWerks App</a> uses maps to highlight the barriers to fish movement in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Based on the ongoing work with <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-when-our-map-of-southern-africas-rivers-went-viral-110735">a map of southern African rivers</a> that went viral two years ago, the same potential exists to drive conservation awareness and action in the southern African region.</p>

A map of South Africa’s perennial rivers. Non-perenn

<p>Maps can be many things: colourful, or dull; complex, or very simple; helpful, or very difficult to read. They also have the potential to support the public’s knowledge of environmental and social issues, and to lay out paths towards behavioural changes and conservation consciousness.</p> <p>This potential is already being explored in some parts of the world. For example, the <a href="https://greatlakesconnectivity.org/fishApp">FishWerks App</a> uses maps to highlight the barriers to fish movement in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Based on the ongoing work with <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-when-our-map-of-southern-africas-rivers-went-viral-110735">a map of southern African rivers</a> that went viral two years ago, the same potential exists to drive conservation awareness and action in the southern African region.</p>

Human Activities and Conservation Awareness between Community Use Zone (CUZ) Areas of Kinabalu Park and Crocker Range Park, Sabah

The Parks Enactment 1984 prohibits any human activities in the Park in order to conserve thenatural ecosystem but in reality there are some people living inside the Park and doing cultivation. Community Use Zone (CUZ) is a management option in an attempt to strike a balance between the conservation priorities of the Park and the livelihoods of the local communities who depend on the Park for survival. This study looks into the relationship between types of crops planted within the CUZ areas, evaluate the contribution for the local communities’ livelihood, and determine the perception and conservation awareness of local community activities. The data for this study was collected by using face-to-face interview technique. Closed and open-ended structured questions were used in the interview. Apart from that observation was useful to obtained information which cannot achieve from structured interviews. Percentage, mean and range were used to summarize the results. With the use of socioeconomic survey and economic valuation on sales products approach, it was possible to determine the objectives of this study. Major crops grown are permanent crops such as rubber trees, fruit trees, and cash crops such as vegetables, cocoa and coffee trees were identified as the type of crops that were cultivated for economic sources by farmers in Kg. Sayap, Kota Belud and Kg. Mongool Baru Ulu Senagang, Keningau/Tenom. Rubber trees contributed the highest source of income followed by fruit trees such as durian, langsat and rambutan, cocoa trees and vegetables. The study showed that the perception and conservation awareness of the local communities in both villages had high awareness level. They are aware of the issues that concerning forest conservation. The study had determined that the CUZ is a tool management for the local communities to survive their living which is recommended to be applied but further research on the local communities’ livelihood dependency on protected areas should be conducted for the sake of forest conservation.

Tourist Knowledge, Pro-Conservation Intentions, and Tourist Concern for the Impacts of Whale-Watching in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama

Whale watching has become an important economic activity for many coastal areas where whales aggregate at certain times of year. Las Perlas Archipelago in Panama is a breeding ground for humpback whales, where the numbers of both visitors and tour operators have increased in recent years with little compliance and enforcement of regulations. Nevertheless, there is potential to improve whale-watching management at this site and its use as a tool for education and conservation awareness. Our objective was to assess tourist knowledge, perceptions and pro-conservation attitudes related to whale watching and how this activity is managed in Las Perlas. One hundred and eleven tourists were surveyed in the summer of 2019 after they participated in whale−watching tours. Overall, respondents had little knowledge about whales and their conservation before a whale-watching trip. However, after the excursion, tourists felt they had learned more about whale biology and the regulations for whale-watching. Trip satisfaction after whale-watching activities was higher when whale behaviors, including breaching and tail slaps, were observed. Respondents expressed low satisfaction when there was an excessive number of boats around a whale-sighting. Concern for lack of compliance seemed to be associated with whale-watching operations that onboard tour guides. This study highlights the importance of whale watching as a tool for promoting whale conservation through education and the need to improve the enforcement of existing regulations and visitor monitoring to reduce potential negative impacts of whale-watching.