Environmental Awareness: Do People Really Concern about the Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu, Malaysia?

Abstract

Wetlands provide environmental and social values: habitats for many plants and animals, including threatened and endangered species; flood storage and storm-water regulation; groundwater recharge; water pollution filtration and sediment trapping; and soil protection from erosion. In the past two decades, managing and raising the general level of environmental awareness on all levels of society has become one of the main social goals that has reached a level of social and political consensus unseen ever before. Considering that only things that can be measured can actually be managed, the measuring of environmental awareness based on scientific criteria is becoming increasingly interesting to scientists working in different disciplines. The purpose of this research are, first, to identify the environmental awareness level toward Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu and second, to examine the relationship of wetland background and wetland issues towards environmental awareness among public people on Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu. Factor analysis were employ to elicit the main contributing factors and the result indicated a high level of awareness toward Setiu Wetland in the scope of knowledge wetland background, wetland issues and environmental attitude. Setiu Wetlands should have comprehensive policies to manage and conserve while the values of wetlands can give beneficial to the communities. How ever, the level of environmental awareness among public on Setiu Wetlands in terengganu should be measure to ensure either the policy maker, properly conserve and manage Setiu Wetlands in good manner.