The analysis of the relationship between Selangor state structure plan's policies and land cover changes based on the principles of maqasid al-shari'ah

Abstract

Malaysian government has made biodiversity conservation an essential aspect of sustainable development and a continuous policy component of the country's five-year development plans. This national strategy is reinforced by state policies, particularly in Selangor's Selangor State Structure Plan 2035, which includes a commitment to forest and natural resource preservation. According to most domestic and international research studies, human activities have resulted in various negative consequences as a result of failures to protect forests and natural resources, particularly in Selangor. Thus, this research focusing on the analysis of the relationship between Selangor state structure plan’s policies and land cover changes based on the principles of Maqasid al-Shari’ah. This research aims to develop a natural resource management framework for Selangor River Basin area in ensuring the fulfillers of the main objectives for natural resource management based on the National Forestry Policy 1978 (amendment 1992). In order to achieve the aim, this research analyses land cover changes using remote sensing images toward sustainability of forest management and preservation of natural resources, assesses the policies in Selangor State Structure Plan 2035 in order to maintain the sustainability of natural resources in accordance with the principles of Maqasid al-Shari’ah, identifies issues and problems in current natural resource management of Selangor in ensuring the preservation of natural resources, and then proposes the inject of Maqasid al-Shari’ah in ensuring the comprehensiveness of policy making and natural resources management. This research engages mixed-method research methodologies involving content analysis, interview, and land cover changes analysis. This research found that the increase in Permanent Forest Reserves each year shows a positive trend; however, the focus should be on the Selangor River Basin area as the amount of forest area continues to decline. Plus, the built-up areas and agricultural vegetation in the Selangor River Basin will continue to develop and expand if strict management measures are not implemented, to the point where the area would become congested and overwhelmed. Other than that, the improvements achieved through Selangor’s structural plan policies (2020-2035) will favor urbanization and agricultural activities due to the focus of life and property preservation above other principles. Therefore, this research can be used to inject the idea of Maqasid al-Shari’ah can be successfully embedded in present sustainability indicators through the proposed natural resource management framework.