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Explora: Environment
and Resource COVID-19 impact on forest biodiversity attitudes

understanding appear to have a great value in managing 7. Conclusion
sudden outbreaks. It has two-fold benefits: Prevention and
cure. Public understanding of science and public attitude This study provides novel insights into the interplay
may enable the public to be aware of the dangers of those between deforestation, the extinction of mammals, birds,
pandemics: How they emerge and what could be done to and plants, and public attitudes toward biodiversity
conservation in Malaysia, particularly in the context
overcome or limit their spread. Moreover, the more aware/
informative the public, the more effective the preventive of the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing a robust
measures or cures, e.g., taking necessary preventive and structural model and bootstrapping analysis, the research
curative steps, before and after the spread of the pandemic, highlights the significant impact of deforestation on
species extinction and how the pandemic has moderated
such as what is observed after the outbreak of COVID-19.
On the contrary, a less aware/informative public may public attitudes, notably toward mammal extinction. The
ignore the issue—due to a lack of understanding—and this findings underscore the importance of raising public
could result in the exponential growth of the pandemic. awareness through media and academic channels to
prevent complacency and foster a stronger connection
Policymakers hence devise a policy to create awareness with biodiversity conservation.
regarding the pandemics, which is readily available and
easily understood. One of the effective and efficient While this study contributes valuable knowledge
mechanisms could be designing visual information to the field, particularly regarding the moderating role
available throughout the length and breadth. Social of COVID-19, it also identifies gaps in understanding,
especially concerning bird and plant extinctions. Future
media can become an effective tool to ensure that. Finally,
managers, especially those responsible for conserving research should explore other behavioral models and
biodiversity, start to design training/programs to create demographic variables to deepen the understanding of
public awareness and change the attitudes of people who public attitudes and the effectiveness of conservation
strategies. By addressing these limitations and expanding
have lower access to the knowledge and understanding of
science (biodiversity, climate change, and more). the scope of inquiry, policymakers and conservationists
can better tailor their efforts to protect biodiversity and
6.3. Limitations and future directions enhance public engagement.
This research, nevertheless, requires a more profound Acknowledgments
understanding of the phenomena of the topic. Other than
the Theory of Planned Behavior, several other behavioral This research is one of the outcomes of the project
models and concepts (i.e., Ecological System Theory, supported by the internally funded project No: IPSR/
Social-Cognitive Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, RMC/UTARRF/2020-C1/Y05 from the Universiti Tunku
Protection Motivation Theory, and many more) needed to Abdul Rahman, Kampar, 31900, Perak, Malaysia.
be studied particularly in connection with the pandemic Funding
tenure. To evaluate whether the results of the independent
variables are similar or different in the behavior of the This research project was funded by the Universiti Tunku
public, studies in the Malaysian context can be expanded Abdul Rahman Research Fund (UTARRF) Project No.
more in terms of variable comparisons. IPSR/RMC/UTARRF/2020-C1/Y05.
This research produced some valuable findings and Conflict of interest
added value to the existing literature on biodiversity. The
research findings regarding bird and plant extinction The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
somehow do not capture the proper understanding of Author contributions
biodiversity in totality. Therefore, it is imperative that
further research in this direction may be conducted. In Conceptualization: Hui Nee Au Yong, Chuan Chew Foo
addition to that, for demographic data, it would have been Investigation: Irfan Rashdi, Maryam Kalhoro, Chuan Chew
more helpful if a column pertaining to people’s religious Foo
affiliation was included. It would have given us a better Methodology: Hui Nee Au Yong, Chee Yin Yip, Thian Hee
understanding of the lower significance level for mammal Yiew
extinction when we used COVID-19 as a moderating Formal analysis: Maryam Kalhoro
variable. Finally, it would be more interesting to study Writing – original draft: Maryam Kalhoro, Irfan Rashdi,
across the cases, for example, at the level of education, Hui Nee Au Yong
gender, income level, and more. Writing – review & editing: Irfan Rashdi, Maryam Kalhoro

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2024) 13 doi: 10.36922/eer.3615