OESF 2019: Oceania Ecosytem Services Forum 4 September 2019, Christchurch, New Zealand Declining traditional knowledge and practices in the use of natural resources among Indigenous Local Communities of Selangor, Malaysia Ho YuekMing, PhD Faculty of Environmental Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia
[email protected] OESF 2019 Acknowledgement Environmental Sociology class of 2019: • Ameera Nazeerah Ahmad Khairi • Chin Kee Tom • Chong Kar Woh • Nurul Nasihah Mohd Najmi • Nurwindah Rahman OESF 2019 Overview • Indigenous Local Communities (ILCs) of Malaysia • Ethnographic research • Natural Resources • Traditional knowledge & practices OESF 2019 Introduction • Ethnographic study • Examines traditional knowledge and practices in the use of natural resources among ILCs in the state of Selangor in Malaysia. OESF 2019 Objectives • Identify existing natural resources that are still available within indigenous communities in Selangor • Examine practices in the use of natural resources • Identify traditional knowledge in the use of natural resources OESF 2019 Case • Rapid development has encroached into settlement areas of indigenous local communities – especially those located close to the city. • Much of the natural resources such as plants and animals were lost due to land use change. OESF 2019 OESF 2019 Original People – ‘Orang Asal’ • Aborigine (orang asli), • Original people (orang asal) • Three major tribes of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. ● Negrito, Senoi, and Proto‐Malay (Thevakumar et al., 2016) ● consists of 19 ethnic groups Ref: ‘Orang Asli ‐ Minority Rights Group, 2018) OESF 2019 OESF 2019 OESF 2019 Livelihoods ● Live near or deep in the forest ● May be engaged in hill rice production ● Traditional hunter gatherers activities, ● Shifting agriculture (the Jakun tribe). ● Coastal fishing, eg. Orang Seletar and Mah Meri ● Some persist a semi‐nomadic lifestyle (the Negritos) OESF 2019 Challenges & Threats Indigenous communities in Malaysia faces various challenges: • land rights • adapting to modern development.