Social and Ecnomic Values of Urban Forestry：Malaysian Perspective

1 INTRODUCTIONUrban forestry means different things to differentpeople, depending on one’s perspective. Some peopleview urban forestry in terms of economic values,rather than cultural or social values, whereas othersmay perceive it in terms of all three types of values.As such, the management of urban green spaces maybe tailored to suchvalues. To Kuchelmeisterand TREECITY (1998), urban greening and urban forestry aretwo different fields altogether. They referred to urbangreening as t…

Social and Ecnomic Values of Urban Forestry:Malaysian Perspective

The concept of urban forestry is not a new one for town planners and foresters in Malaysia. The difference between the concept now and in the early days is that, in the past, people associated urban forestry primarily with the planting of trees, rather than seeing it as involving the total development of a designated area. Urban forestry activity in Malaysia started way back in 1778 with the planting of Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) trees in Malacca, followed by large-scale planting of trees in Penang in 1802. A majority of trees planted at that time were exotic species, such as Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus), rain tree (Samanea saman), and broad-leaved mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which were meant to provide instant shade and greenery. A more holisticconcept of urban forestry, which not only encompasses simply planting trees but also involves making provisions for preserving the ecosystem, started only in the 1980s. Sincethen, the concept of urban forestry has begun to gain interestand appreciation, encouraging localsto get involved with tree-planting campaigns aspart and parcel of many urban forestry activities. Today, efforts of government agencies such as theForest Research InstituteMalaysia(FRIM), together with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)and the Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur, have helped to inculcate interestin planting trees or greening the nation and to enhance appreciation of the concept of urban forestry as a whole. The importance of urban forestry from the perspective of both economic and social values is reflected not only in the prices of homes located in urban green areas but also in theamountof budget allocated formaintenance and further development of those areas. Everyoneliving in an urban area knows how important urban forestry activities are in day-to-day activities. Therefore, to help readers better understand and appreciate the needs ofan urban population, thispaper highlights not only the roles of urban green spaces butalso discusses the social and economicvalues thatMalaysiansplace on urban forestry.