Factors influencing environmentally responsible behaviour of local communities towards Gunung Arong State Park Forest, Mersing, Johor, Malaysia

Forests play significant roles in maintaining balanced biodiversity and ecosystem, human wellbeing and living quality, national revenue and reputation. However, forest sustainability is a global challenge. Initiatives such as ecotourism and community forestry are being introduced to protect nature and enhance sustainability. In recent years, Gunung Arong, which is the third highest mountain in Johor, Malaysia, has made Gunung Arong State Park Forest (GASPF) an ecotourism hotspot. Visitors and local communities enjoy recreation and outdoor activities. However, instead of being involved in ecotourism, most local communities are working in agricultural, livestock farming, and fisheries sectors. This phenomenon has adverse impacts on forest sustainability, especially if the local communities do not use the forest responsibly and exploit it for economic benefits. Therefore, understanding the environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB) of local communities as frequent forest users is crucial. The literature emphasises the influences of environmental sensitivity and environmental attitudes, including environmental worldview (general attitude) and place attachment (specific attitude) on ERB. However, the findings are inconsistent and have yet to reach a shared conclusion. This study, therefore, identifies the factors that influence the local communities’ ERB. A quantitative study with a self-administered questionnaire was conducted along with a pilot study to ensure the questionnaire had good internal consistency. Then, the data were collected from a total of 160 respondents across three villages adjacent to GASPF. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25 was employed to analyse the data, while descriptive, correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Descriptive results showed that local communities in GASPF are mostly Malays and have been living in their villages for at least 11 years. Overall, local communities have a positive environmental worldview, environmental sensitivity, place attachment, and ERB towards GASPF. Correlation analysis indicated that all three independent variables, namely environmental worldview, environmental sensitivity, and place attachment, correlate positively to ERB. Lastly, all independent variables influence the local communities’ ERB, with place attachment being the strongest predictor, followed by environmental sensitivity and environmental worldview. The authorities could use the findings to design strategies to enhance the local communities’ ERB. With the ERB enhanced, the authorities can implement community forestry initiatives in GASPF to foster locals’ sustainable relationships with GASPF. The local communities could benefit economically and be involved in conservation and ecotourism management while also maintaining the ultimate goal of forest sustainability.

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