National Landscape Policy.

This National Landscape Policy (NLP) is a nationwide sectoral document aiming to transform Malaysia into a Beautiful Garden Nation by 2020, balancing physical development with green, well-managed, clean, and beautiful environments through unique physical spaces. In this contest, a landscape refers to an ecosystem of natural and built environments, and this Policy will foster a highly civilized and cultured society that values the equilibrium between physical, social, economic, and environmental development. Serving as a comprehensive guide for landscape development and conservation, the NLP supports Malaysia's Vision 2020 by (i) driving the Nation towards a Higher Income Economy: Creating a conducive landscape environment with a unique identity to attract local and foreign investments; (ii) ensuring Holistic and Sustainable Development: Promoting effective landscape planning, development, and management; (iii) Focusing on Citizen well-being: Providing adequate landscape spaces for recreation and social interaction among Malaysia's multicultural society. The NLP also aims to enhance green infrastructure, address climate change, and showcase Malaysia's unique image to boost competitiveness and attract investment, particularly in urban areas. Its implementation supports the Government's goal of improving the national economy while protecting and conserving natural environmental resources. The Policy outlines thrusts, strategies, and action plans for sustainable landscape developments, preserving green areas, and protecting natural resources to maintain the nation's biodiversity and visual beauty for future generations while addressing climate change.
The Policy embraces three crucial aspects of the country that will benefit from its implementation, and are (1) the socio-cultural aspect by (i) creating a conducive social environment through the provision of eco-friendly public facilities, whereby the usage, preservation and conservation of natural resources can be balanced to create and improve landscape diversity thus, increase the productivity, health, and quality of life; (ii) increasing awareness and participation of public and stakeholders towards the needs for landscape development in establishing Malaysia as the Beautiful Garden Nation; (iii) creating a national landscape development regulatory and enforcement body that provides well-planned and sustainable social and recreation facilities; (iv) improving the development and management of human resources in providing quality human capital towards the development of landscape and living environments; (2) the environmental aspect by (i) protecting and conserving natural resources, landscape assets and heritage that are unique with their own identities.; (ii) managing the development and preservation of the nation’s landscape resources to be effectively implemented during planning and implementation through collaboration with various agencies; (iii) creating an efficient management system to sustainably conserve landscape natural resources and environment; (3) the economical aspect by (i) creating a landscape development that will ensure the establishment of living environments that will balance and complement the rapid growth of economic sector developments, such as housing, industry, agriculture, and public facilities; (ii) developing a viable landscape industry to contribute to the nation’s economic growth; (iii) generating landscape potentials to serve as catalysts for the development of the nation’s tourism sector; (iv) increasing continuous landscape research and development (R&D) activities to support quality and competitive landscape development.
Based on the principles of the National Landscape Policy, the seven Thrusts that serve as the basis for this Policy are as follows (1) inculcate the appreciation towards landscape; (2) strengthen and improve the quality of landscapes to achieve the most beautiful garden nation goal; (3) create landscape development programs to provide functional and sustainable green infrastructure; (4) protect natural landscape as a national treasure; (5) develop competent organizations and human resources for national landscape development; (6) formulate and enforce landscape legislation and rules; (7) driving the national landscape industry.