Factors affecting local communities’ support for environmental sustainability in Taman Negara Pahang, Kuala Tahan Malaysia / Kate Yng Teh

Local support for protected areas management is increasingly viewed by conservationists as an important determinant of the success of many
environmental sustainability efforts. As such, this paper presents data from a case study of local people living in villages of Kuala Tahan within the
boundaries of the Taman Negara Pahang, Malaysia. In-depth interviews and non-participants observations were used to examine contributing
factors that influence perceptions of local communities on environmental sustainability activities surrounding the national park. The collected data
were analysed using thematic analysis. Overall, the positive impact of the park establishment was better perceived than the negative ones, mainly
because the tourism development surrounding the park creates created more income and employment opportunities for the local people. Other
reasons for liking the park include appreciation of nature, improvements of local infrastructure and culture, community environmental knowledge
and awareness, and good park-people relationship. In contrast, tourism incurs incurred high cost of living and this being the most negative aspects mentioned by the informants. This paper suggests the exploring of local communities’ perspectives by taking into account their needs and opinions should become a management priority of the national park in order to identify effective environmental sustainability strategies.