Although this PhD journey has come to an end, the effort to protect wildlife will continue forever. This thesis probably makes only a very small contribution to the conservation of animals and wildlife. Small as it may be, I hope it will benefit the readers, people in general, and all wildlife species out there. Writing this thesis is not something I did alone. There are many people that helped me throughout this adventurous and difficult journey. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to all the people who have supported and inspired me during my PhD journey. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my promoter and copromoter Rene and Maarten. Thank you Rene for the input and help during my PhD journey. Also, thanks from the bottom of my heart to Maarten for your guidance, input, feedback, and all your consideration, patience, and understanding in helping me to cross the finish line. It was a privilege for me to be a PhD student under your supervision for these four and half years. Thank you so much for believing in me in the first place and offering me the opportunity to embark on this journey. I always enjoyed the discussion we had, whether it was about this PhD, life as academics, or family matters. I am also immensely grateful to Claudio, my previous promoter, for accepting me as a PhD student. It would not have been possible to do this PhD project without sufficient financial support. Therefore, I would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia for financing my study in Wageningen University. My sincere gratitude is extended to the staff of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia in Cheras (Headquarters), Kluang and Johor Bahru, particularly to Mr. Shamsul, for their technical and professional support during my fieldwork. My sincere thanks also go to all students and inhabitants who participated in this study. Special thanks also to Ivo van der Lans for his assistance in the data analysis process in chapter 5. I am also grateful to the anonymous Acknowledgement vi journal reviewers for their thorough and critical assessments of some of the chapters in this thesis. During my PhD journey, I have met many good and kind people. I would like to thank all staff and group members (current and former) of the Cultural Geography group.