Developing an environmental resources resilience framework and index for Selangor

Abstract

Rapid urbanization combined with climate change have contributed to the poor environmental performances of cities with the increase of natural disasters. This research aims to assess the resilience of environmental resources for the state of Selangor using a newly developed framework and assessment tool. The objectives of this research (1) to develop an environmental resources resilience framework; (2) to formulate an environmental resources resilience assessment tool; and (3) to generate and map out the environmental resources resilience index statuses for Selangor. For this research, the state of Selangor that has nine districts is chosen as the case study for its abundance of environmental resources and economic importance where resilience in environmental resources is vital towards realising sustainable development. To achieve the objectives of this research, literature review of international and national plans, policies, indexes and studies have undergone content analysis in developing an environmental resources resilience framework. Then necessary literature reviews, data collection and scoring of indicators are done according to the framework in formulating an environmental resources resilience assessment tool. Data extracted from PLAN Malaysia’s GIS database system, government annual reports and LANDSAT imagery are input into the assessment tool to generate the environmental resources resilience statuses for nine districts in Selangor and the composite environmental resources resilience status for Selangor. Both these results are then input into the MapInfo software an undergone thematic analysis to produce the mapping of both results in the GIS database system. Through this research, it is identified that all the districts in Selangor have a moderate environmental resources resilience status except Petaling district which is categorised in the low status. Besides, the composite environmental resources resilience for the state of Selangor is also categorised in the moderate status. Findings from this research is that the moderate status of environmental resources resilience for Selangor is due to the negligence of available environmental resources where potential are not being optimised and poor maintenance. Recommendations to further improve this study is with additional framework component such as agriculture soil; inclusivity of coastal area planning; data sharing among agencies; and cooperation among stakeholders.