TY  - GEN
T1  - Unsustainable development and environmental change in Cameron Highlands
A1  - Ngai, Weng Chan
LA  - English
PB  - School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia
YR  - 2014
UL  - http://discoverylib.upm.edu.my/discovery/Record/oai:http:--agris.upm.edu.my:0-7652
AB  - In recent decades, highlands have come under enormous pressures for development in Malaysia. Cameron Highlands, one of the few highland areas with a cool climatic regime, has undergone phenomenal changes over the last few decades. This major tourist and farming location has experienced haphazard rapid development in the area of agriculture, tourism, urbanization and more recently housing and infrastructure (highways) development. Development pressures are causing more and more forested areas to be cleared resulting in negative environmental effects, including local climate change. Unplanned development, poor enforcement and lack of political will
amongst other reasons have led to a multitude of environmental problems as pressures from tourism, construction development, pollution, deforestation and climate changes are eroding the landscape of the sensitive mountain ecosystems. This has led to massive deforestation, destruction of water catchments, soil erosion and landslides water shortages and pollution, sedimentation of waterways and reservoirs, and downstream flooding. In terms of
human society the impacts have also been felt, especially loss of life, injury, damage to infrastructure and farm crop loss and income reduction due to landslides. This paper examines how unsustainable development has resulted in major environmental issues and looks at ways in which they can be addressed in order to conserve and manage the highlands in a sustainable manner.
KW  - Sustainable development
KW  - Climatic change
KW  - Highlands
KW  - Urbanization
KW  - Tourism
KW  - Deforestation
ER  -