Applying Social Capital Theory on Conservation Policies of Protected Areas: A Case Study of Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Environmental conservation efforts internationally and in Malaysia are focused on the establishment, maintenance and conservation of Protected Areas. The phenomenon of Protected Areas is justified by both biological considerations and social considerations. Biological considerations are commonly articulated. This research attempts to balance the narrative by focusing on social considerations, specific on the component of social capital, as derived from Social Capital Theory. Social capital is not commonly employed in the discourse on conservation policies of Protected Areas. However, social capital is postulated to have a tangible influence, as witnessed by its successful application in other contexts such as housing policy and social development. To explore the applicability of social capital towards Protected Areas, a case study of Penang in Malaysia is utilized. Document analysis and field observations are adopted as the research methodology and the data is analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that social capital has a tangible effect on the conservation policies of Protected Areas. Subsequently, public policy recommendations are proposed in light of the findings.

Examining Plogging in South Korea as a New Social Movement: From the Perspective of Claus Offe’s New Social Movement Theory

“…(Plogging participant living in Daegu) Leading a society's trends ultimately signifies the greatest influence on political decision-making and consumer power [42]. The MZ generation has the strongest influence in Korean society [40], with the most social and cultural capital [41,43], and they actively use social media to produce and expand their social capital [44]. The MZ generation uses plogging as a form of cultural capital to expand social capital, allowing the 20-and 30-year-olds to obtain the symbolic representation of environmentally conscious intellectuals as cultural capital compared to their non-participating peers.…”

Social Capital development amongst college and university students in online and classroom education

“…The literature on social capital is wide as social capital is a sociological construct that can be applied in various contexts such as business [21,22], healthcare [23,24] environmental conservation [1], corporate social responsibility [25], poverty-alleviation [26,27,28], nation-building [29], crowdfunding [30] and others. In the context of students, social capital provides current benefits as it supports academic success as students leverage upon it for peer learning and guidance [31,7,8], and also future benefits as it plays an important role in career and business success [10,11,18].…”

“…In social science, the idea of social capital resides in the field of sociology, but has expanded into the fields of political science, public policy, business and economics. The founding fathers of sociology, Tonnies, Weber, and Durkheim, defined social capital in terms of the individual9s place in society, social relations, and social order [1]. There are variations in contemporary definitions and one commonly used is <stocks of social trust, norms, and networks that people can draw upon in order to solve common problems= [2].…”