Dataset for the measurement, modelling and evaluation for conservation in urbanising landscapes of the Klang Valley

Urban sprawl in Southeast Asia leads to loss and degradation of natural ecosystems. As cities expand, habitats are lost and fragmented, and the capacity of green spaces to provide ecosystem services (ES) is reduced. Despite the most rapid urban growth taking place in the Global South (GS), most current research on urbanisation and its effects on ES and wildlife is focused on the Global North (GN). Moreover, urban sprawl is context-dependent; the manner in which cities of the GS expand differs from that of the GN as it is often informal, unplanned and linked to illegal deforestation. It is therefore essential to examine ES and ecological connectivity in those urbanising landscapes where the challenge is greatest yet least understood. This thesis presents a spatially nested analysis of ES provision and ecological connectivity in the Klang Valley, focusing on an unprotected peri-urban forest in Ampang Jaya. A combination of field data collection, high-resolution land-use/land-cover mapping, modelling with InVEST for ES (carbon storage, flood risk mitigation, erosion risk mitigation) and Graphab for species connectivity (five focal species: Malay Tapir (Tapirus indicus), Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar ), Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys), and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)) was used to map and value ES and landscape connectivity. To understand the role of the studied forest in its wider context and to demonstrate the necessity of safeguarding it, it was compared with its surroundings, the Klang Valley. The results highlight its importance in terms of ecological connectivity and ES provision. ES hotspots were identified in the Klang Valley, the focal forest’s contribution to carbon storage, flood mitigation, and sediment retention was quantified, and its high value in the ecological network for both endangered and nonendangered species was demonstrated. This work provides evidence to support local community conservation efforts, illustrates the fragility of legal protection in the local context, and offers a framework for similar urban landscapes in the Global South.