Future Perfect

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ustainability

olicies

, P

rogrammes

and

their

conomic

mpact

has seen comprehensive policy development, involving the

formulation of objectives across sectors for the medium

(Five-Year Malaysia Plan) to long term (Outline Perspective

Plan), and the means of achieving them. Apart from setting

out broad goals, the national development plans include

projects and activities to be funded from the annual recur-

rent and development budgets.

Malaysia’s development planning agenda is supported

by sectoral policies and plans such as the National Policy

on Biological Diversity 1998,

National Policy on the

Environment 2002,

National Climate Change Policy

2009, National Green Technology Policy 2009, and

various strategic action plans to steer Malaysia towards

sustainability. One of the objectives of the National

Policy on the Environment is to ‘conserve Malaysia’s

unique and diverse cultural and natural heritage with

effective participation by all sectors of society’ through

a broad-based strategic approach in promoting environ-

mental soundness through research and development,

economic efficiency, social equity, responsibility and

accountability. The National Policy on Biological

Diversity aims to ensure conservation and sustainable

utilization of the unique biological resources of the

nation for the benefit of present and future generations.

Minister’s Department introduced the Land Capability Classification

(LCC) system for broad regional planning and resource develop-

ment. The purpose of the LCC scheme was to delineate zones of land

development for mining, agriculture, forestry, recreation and wildlife,

based on economic criteria that categorize five classes of land uses.

This land-use instrument safeguarded Malaysia’s natural ecosystems

from rampant degradation during the periods of rapid socioeconomic

and physical development.

As a result, Malaysia has performed well in certain areas of environ-

mental policy without compromising the socioeconomic progress of its

populace. Malaysia has accumulated considerable experience in pollution

control since the 1970s. The ambient water quality was progressively

improved by the mid-1980s through more effective control of effluent

from palm oil mills, rubber factories, and related agro-industries regu-

lated under the Environmental Quality Act of 1974. Malaysia has also

received praise for its successful compliance with the Montreal Protocol

in phasing out ozone-depleting substances. Economic analysis suggests

that Malaysia has avoided the ‘resource curse’ thesis

and was mainly

on a sustainable path throughout the 1980s and 1990s.The convergence

between environment, social and economic goals in national develop-

ment requires a strategic approach, which is mid- to long-term in its

perspective or integrated in linking up various stakeholders and proc-

esses. Since the 1950s, Malaysia’s economic planning systemhas involved

the tradition of preparing periodic development plans. This approach

In its approach to conservation, Malaysia has influenced developing global standards

Image: Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Malaysia