EXAMINING PERSPECTIVE ON PAYMENT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: A CASE STUDY OF MELAKA AMONG GENERATION Z
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1143019Keywords:
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), Generation Z, Environmental AttitudesAbstract
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a market-based environmental policy instrument that provides financial incentives to individuals or organizations for managing land and natural resources in ways that generate ecological benefits, such as water purification, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration. Despite the increasing implementation of PES initiatives worldwide, limited empirical studies have examined how younger generations, particularly Generation Z, perceive and respond to such environmental policy mechanisms. Therefore, this study aims to examine the affective, cognitive, and behavioural attributes of Generation Z toward Payment for Ecosystem Services initiatives. A quantitative research design was employed using a structured survey instrument adapted from previously validated studies to ensure reliability and measurement accuracy. Data were collected from Generation Z respondents in Melaka and analysed using statistical techniques to assess the relationships between affective, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions and overall perceptions of PES. The findings indicate that Generation Z demonstrates varying levels of awareness and attitudes toward PES, with affective and cognitive attributes significantly influencing their behavioural intentions to support ecosystem conservation initiatives. These results contribute to the understanding of youth perspectives on environmental economic instruments and provide insights for policymakers in designing more effective PES awareness and engagement strategies.
Downloads
References
Alpízar, F., Bernedo, M., Ferraro, P. J., & Meiselman, B. S. (2020). A world-wide experiment on the effects of education and information on public goods contributions. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 178, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.07.015
Arbiol, J., Bravo-Monroy, L., & Potts, S. G. (2016). Knowledge and willingness to pay for ecosystem services in a tropical biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Cleaner Production, 133, 1318–1326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.05.158
Börner, J., Baylis, K., Corbera, E., Ezzine-de-Blas, D., Honey-Rosés, J., Persson, U. M., & Wunder, S. (2017). The effectiveness of payments for environmental services. World Development, 96, 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.020
Corner, A., Roberts, O., Chiari, S., Völler, S., Mayrhuber, E. S., Mandl, S., & Hübner, K. (2015). How do young people connect with climate change? Civil society priorities and engagement with the world views of 18–25-year olds. Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Management, 5(3), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430779.2015.1074693
Department of Environment. (2021, October 26). Environmental quality report 2021. Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Malaysia. https://www.doe.gov.my/en/environmental-quality-report/
Djafarova, E., & Foots, S. (2022). Exploring ethical consumption of generation Z: Theory of planned behaviour. Young Consumers, 23(3), 413–431. https://doi.org/10.1108/yc-10-2021-1405
He, X., Zhan, J., & Cheng, Z. (2023). Influence of social norms and peer effects on youth pro-environmental behavior. Sustainability, 15(4), 3125. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043125
Krishnan, D., Ismail, S. M., Kaffashi, S., Chamhuri, S., Naseha, F., & Ramloo, P. (2018). Household's willingness to pay for watershed protection services in Langat Basin, Selangor using contingent valuation method. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation, 6(Special Issue 1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.17576/jatma-2018-06S11-11
Mei, N. S., Wai, C. W., & Ahamad, R. (2016). Environmental awareness and behaviour index for Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioural Sciences, 222, 668–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.223
Pascual, U., Balvanera, P., Anderson, C. B., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Christie, M., González-Jiménez, D., Martin, A., Raymond, C. M., Termansen, M., Vatn, A., Athayde, S., Baptiste, B., Barton, D. N., Jacobs, S., Kelemen, E., Kumar, R., Lazos, E., Mwampamba, T. H., Nakangu, B., & O’Farrell, P. (2023). Diverse values of nature for sustainability. Nature, 620(7975), 813–823. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06406-9
Salzman, J., Bennett, G., Carroll, N., Goldstein, A., & Jenkins, M. (2018). The global status and trends of payments for ecosystem services. Nature Sustainability, 1(3), 136–144. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0033-0
ScienceSites. (2017, August 8). Paul J. Ferraro. https://www.pauljferraro.com/publications/are-payments-for-ecosystem-services-benefiting-the-ecosystems-and-people
Tsevreni, I., Proutsos, N., Tsevreni, M., & Tigkas, D. (2023). Generation Z worries, suffers and acts against climate crisis—The potential of sensing children’s and young people’s eco-anxiety: A critical analysis based on an integrative review. Climate, 11(8), 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11080171
Whitburn, J., Linklater, W., & Abrahamse, W. (2020). Meta-analysis of human-nature connection and pro-environmental behavior. Conservation Biology, 34(1), 180–193. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13381
Wunder, S., Brouwer, R., Engel, S., Ezzine-de-Blas, D., Muradian, R., Pascual, U., & Pinto, R. (2018). From principles to practice in paying for nature’s services. Nature Sustainability, 1(3), 145–150. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0036-x
