Land Use History and Secondary Forest Creation in Negeri Sembilan (Late 19th- Early 21st Century)

This study describes the land use changes impacts in Negeri Sembilan from the late 19th century (British colonial era) through to the early 21st century based on literature review. In doing so, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of secondary forests as natural resource in Malaysia. The factors affecting the land use changes and the results of these changes were discussed so as to understand how secondary forests (belukar in Malay) were created, exploited or maintained. Accelerating land use in the lowland and later spreading to higher ground left patches of primary forests in inaccessible areas, which were mostly on higher altitudes. In the 20th century, the lowland landscape consisted of a mosaic of several land use types (human settlements, agricultural plantations, and sporadic patches of secondary forests). In the 21st century land use activities and urbanization processes further intensifies, and as land ownership has become clear-cut and secure, there is little to prevent secondary forests from eventually being converted to other land use types, especially when the land has high economic value. This study is useful for geographers and environmentalists who are interested in natural resource management and heritage conservation. Kajian ini menerangkan perubahan guna tanah yang berlaku di Negeri Sembilan bermula ketika penghujung kurun ke-19 (zaman kolonial Inggeris) hinggalah kepada awal kurun ke- 21 berdasarkan kepada kajian literatur. Kajian bertujuan untuk menambahkan pemahaman mengenai peranan hutan sekunder (Belukar) sebagai sumber asli di Malaysia. Faktor yang mengakibatkan perubahan guna tanah dan kesan perubahan tersebut dibincangkan untuk memahami bagaimana hutan sekunder terbentuk, dieksploitasi dan dipelihara. Guna tanah di kawasan rendah terjadi dengan pantas dan seterusnya merebak di kawasan tinggi sambil meninggalkan serpihan hutan primer yang kebanyakan di altitud tinggi. Di dalam kurun ke 20, landskap tanah pamah adalah campuran pelbagai guna tanah seperti kawasan penempatan, ladang pertanian dan serpihan hutan sekunder yang bertaburan. Memasuki kurun ke-21, aktiviti guna tanah dan proses urbanisasi semakin meningkat, dan apabila pemilikan tanah menjadi jelas, maka semakin cepat perubahan guna tanah di kawasan hutan sekunder, terutamanya jika tanah tersebut mempunyai nilai ekonomi yang tinggi. Kajian ini adalah berguna kepada ahli geografi dan alam sekitar yang berminat dalam topik pengurusan sumber semula jadi dan pemuliharaan warisan.