Earth Matters

As we close off the month of March 2022, we look back at some of the top conservation and environment-related news from the month past, with the co-founders of environmental journalism portal Macaranga , Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn. On today's episode, we discuss the tabled amendments to the nation's Forestry Law and whether it will be binding to all states, before turning our attention to the r...

They've been around since the time of dinosaurs, and are more closely related to lilies and gingers than to true grasses. Seagrasses are the only flowering plants that can live underwater, and are the main diet of dugongs and green turtles, and provide a habitat for many, smaller marine animals. But we are losing seagrass rapidly, and the misconception that seagrasses are inconsequential is furthe...

World Water Day, celebrated annually on the 22nd of March, is all about focusing attention on the importance of water. While many don't give a second thought about having access to a safe and clean supply of water, other Malaysians aren't as lucky. We speak to Celine Lim, the Manager of SAVE Rivers , about how so many indigenous communities in East Malaysia still do not have access to clean, potab...

Local environmental journalism portal Macaranga recently released a series of four articles investigating forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia. Keenly supported by state governments and touted as a reliable and renewable supply for timber, Macaranga’s year-long investigation reveals that forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia have instead incurred high costs, not delivered on promises, and...

Rivers are the planet’s arteries of life, and are intrinsically linked to human survival and well-being. It was International Day of Action for Rivers on the 14th of March - a day dedicated to solidarity, when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. In conjunction with this global celebration, we speak to Dr K. Kalithasan, the Manager of the RIV...

The Long Food Movement report presents a powerful narrative for the need for long-term planning on the part of civil society to build more just, diverse and resilient food systems. The report lays bare the likely consequences of “agribusiness as usual” over the next 25 years, and shows how careful forward planning by civil society can effectively counter the corporate takeover of food systems. So...

Biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide, and it's widely projected that this decline will worsen with business-as-usual scenarios. The Convention on Biological Diversity will convene governments from around the world to agree on a new set of goals for nature over the next decade, through the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework process. Through this, there are also calls for a “T...

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report : Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was released on the 28th of February, and assessed the impacts of climate change, looking at ecosystems, biodiversity, and human communities at global and regional levels. The report has been described as a dire warning about the consequences of inaction, and also as “an atl...

In our new series, There's No Planet B, we want to share everything you need to know about the climate crisis. In our first episode , we explored why we're in a climate crisis. Now in our second show, we want to explore what the effects of the climate crisis will be on both people and the planet. Joining us to lay it all out is Dr Matthew Ashfold, an Atmospheric Scientist, and an Associate Profess...

The illegal smuggling of rhino horns in South Africa involving a Malaysian, African swine fever in Sabah, two species of white-handed gibbons instead of one? These are some of the major environmental news from February 2022 that we discuss in this month's roundup with the folks from environmental journalism portal Macaranga , Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua. We also look forward to the Johor state e...

As forests and natural spaces shrink, and human activities increasingly expand and encroach on wildlife habitats, human-wildlife conflicts and interactions are practically inevitable. It's a complex issue, but the key is to look for balanced solutions to co-exist, and The Animal Neighbours Project is a community based project that uses research and education to mitigate human wildlife conflict in...

It's difficult to even begin to fathom the scale of plastic pollution - plastics have been detected practically everywhere on Earth, from the Arctic, to the top of Everest. Plastic pollution is clearly a global problem, so do we need a global commitment and plan to solve it, which is then locally implemented by all, including governments, businesses, and people? The world's governments are set to...

Pangolins are the only scaly mammals on earth, and the name “pangolin”, which is derived from the Malay word “pengguling”, loosely translates to “something that rolls up”. Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining, and they are considered one of the world’s most heavily trafficked mammals. It's World Pangolin Day this Saturday, and in conjunction with that, we bring you another episode of The ABC's o...

In 2021, investigations by the Rimba Disclosure Project identified and verified 43,539 hectares of forested land supposedly for sale, based on 28 listings on various e-commerce websites. These listings include land within forest reserves, Central Forest Spine habitat linkages, and indigenous customary land, in the states of Perak, Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. We speak to *Amelia, a s...

Marine conservation NGO MareCet celebrated their 10th anniversary just last month, and we celebrate along with them by catching up with the organisation's Chairperson, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Dr Louisa Ponnampalam. A marine biologist by training, Dr Louisa joins us to discuss some of the group's achievements to date, and also their plans moving forward, including their latest initiative...

Sea Cucumbers and Fish Maw might not strike you as facing threats nor do they seem like the poster children for marine conservation. But a new report by the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network TRAFFIC , has outlined how the booming online trade of both Sea Cucumbers and Fish Maw in Malaysia and Singapore, coupled with high levels of international trafficking, could endanger wild populations. How is...

It's been an almost farcical month, in terms of official responses to some of the nation's environmental crises. From claims of orangutans attacking humans, to the belief that logging is good for tigers, how should the community respond to such statements? We explore this and more in this month's roundup with the folks from environmental journalism portal Macaranga , Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hu...

The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns over the past two years turned many of us into avid gardeners. An unwitting consequence was also a rise in the use of plastic poly bags to grow plants in, and thus, more plastic waste after the poly bags are done with. Horrified by the thought of this, Dr Jarina Mohd Jani, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Marine Environment at Universiti Malaysi...

Why are we in a climate emergency? In our new monthly series, There's no Planet B, we want to share everything you need to know about the climate crisis, first by discussing the basics of climate change science, but then to also show how you can take action. In this first episode, we do a 101 crash course on the causes of climate change, with Dr. Sheeba Nettukandy Chenoli, a meteorologist, who is...

The folks behind the environmental group Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam , or KUASA, believe in standing up for what's right when it comes to protecting nature and our natural resources, and empowering others to do the same. The group goes on the ground to highlight cases of environmental destruction here in Peninsular Malaysia, bringing light to these often hidden or overlooked issues, and remindi...

In this new segment on Earth Matters - Plastic Soup - we ask whether we are indeed living in a giant bowl of plastic soup, and explore ways we can get out of this goop. The underlying cause of the plastic pollution crisis is said to be rooted in unsustainable levels of both production and consumption of plastic. Today, we want to tackle plastic consumption in particular, and how we can all start t...

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and we're set to enter the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese zodiac. Here in Malaysia though, the outlook for our critically endangered Malayan Tiger seems to continuously dim, and the recent deaths of both an Orang Asli man from a tiger attack, and the subsequent killing of the tiger, has been upsetting to say the least. What could have been done...

The smallest of the eight-bear species found in the world, sun bears are most easily recognised by their  unique yellow, sun-like marking on their chest, which can take on a variety of shapes. Also known as the 'honey bear’, these lovely creatures have characteristically long tongues to reach honey from beehives and extract insects from small spaces. But, their numbers are declining mainly du...

The three guiding principles of Permaculture can be summarised as such: People Care, Fair Share and Earth Care. Described as a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature, permaculture has changed the lives of those who have embraced it, and the movement of permaculture is becoming stronger by the day. In the second of our two-part series on permaculture, we explore how to actually star...

Bill Mollison, who was credited for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture, described it as such: "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product sy...