Three questions guided this study: (1) What are common nature-related activities during childhood among Malaysians? (2) Do younger generations experience fewer nature-related activities than older generations? (3) Does the level of childhood nature-related experiences differ between people who grew up in rural areas and those who grew up in urban areas?
To answer these questions, two surveys – one for adults and one for children – were developed and used to collected information in three rural districts and three urban towns in Malaysia. A total of 357 adult surveys were completed through face-to-face interviews with one adult household member in randomly selected houses in the six study areas. A total of 401 child surveys were completed by school children, aged 10 – 12 years old. Both the adult and child surveys collected information about childhood experiences with nature involving direct interactions with plants, animals, or soil.
Adult responses indicated that of the 18 nature-related activity options listed on the survey, playing in rivers and waterfalls was the most common (experienced by 84% of respondents). The next most common activities were observing animals (83%), collecting flowers and fruits (77%), collecting seeds and twigs (65%), and eating self-collected fruit (65%). Child responses indicated that observing animals was the most common nature-related activity (experienced by 97% of children). The next most common activities were collecting flowers and fruits (95%) and playing in rivers or waterfalls (87%). Collecting herbs and weeds was also common with children (71%), but not with adults (28%). There was little evidence that younger adults had experienced fewer nature-related activities than older adults, except for climbing trees and playing traditional outdoor games. People who grew up in rural areas, however, participated in more nature-related activities than those who grew up in urban areas. This finding is consistent with other research indicating that access to nature is becoming less available to people living in urban environments than people living in rural areas. Other factors potentially limiting children's nature-related play include parental concern about safety, fear of crime, and screen-based entertainment.
This study documents common childhood nature-related experiences in Malaysia and identifies changes in nature-related activities over time. The study also raises the concern that a loss of natural areas and an increase in population density may accelerate the decline in nature-related experiences in urban areas. Thus, creating urban parks and other public natural spaces becomes increasingly important in developing countries such as Malaysia.
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