Challenges of Ecosystem Resilience: An Aspect of the Sustainability Science Approach in the Study of Environmental Awareness in the Selayang Municipal Council, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

This article discusses a conceptual framework for developing environmental awareness among the Malaysian people via sustainable development principles and the dialogic change model. The conceptual model was developed based on the principles of the integrated pillars in sustainable development and the dialogic change model. Two main component data were used: Awareness campaign activities data and complaints data. The awareness campaign hard data were obtained from the various government agencies that contain the awareness campaign activities such as the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD), the Department of Environment (DoE), and the Ministry of Health (MoH), among others, for the past 10 years (2005–2015). The complaints data were gathered from the Selayang Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Selayang—MPS). Generally, people are more aware of the changes that take place in the urban ecosystems as the recipients of rules or policies made by authorities. The level of awareness among the Malaysian people now has improved. The people take action through the Municipal Council via telephone calls, face-to-face complaints and emails. This article uses the complaints by the residents in the MPS, which is located in the Selangor State, as a case study to investigate the level of awareness and actions taken by urbanites in urban areas. The main findings of the study are issues related to cleanliness of the resident’s area and maintenance, among others, and the major implications for planning policy and ecosystem resilience will be drawn in this article.