Earth Matters

We discuss some of the biggest environment-related news from October, with Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the Co-Founders, Co-Editors and Writers from Macaranga , including the Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2021, Malaysia's ambitious target of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by as early as 2050, and also the intense and unusual flooding in Penampang, Sabah, and how improperly planned and...

 It's Bat Week this week, an international, annual celebration created to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. In line with that, we pay tribute to these tiny ecosystem services providers, who, although hardly seen, are hard at work all around the world each night, busy working on so many things, from pest control to plant pollination. Joining us to share why bats are so aweso...

The  “One Health” concept isn't something new. It's been described as an idea that had been known for more than a century; that human health and animal health are interdependent, and bound to the health of the ecosystems in which they exist. We do a 101 on this approach on today's show, and also specifically explore how the One Health approach can offer solutions to the health pro...

A public park, run by a public trust, in perpetuity - that's the plan for the very popular Taman Tugu , a 66-acre rehabilitated and regenerated forest park in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. With more than 5km of forest trails which is open and free to all, the park was initially set to be converted into a for-profit tourist attraction theme-park, before it was protected. We speak to Calvin Jacob, the...

Most of us understand that our relationship with the planet isn't great, and that for humanity to survive, we need to make some changes, and fast. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but one simple way forward is available in the form of Permaculture, which allows everyone the chance to be part of a transition to a more eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable future. How? We find out from two permaculture...

Live hornbills, dead green sea turtles, live gibbons, horns from dead rhinos - just some of the seizures made by authorities, over the past two months alone. Dead or alive, these and more wildlife are still being actively traded all over Southeast Asia and the world. How do we even begin to combat these massive conservation crimes, which includes the illegal wildlife trade? We discuss this and mor...

It's that time of the year again, when plain pouched hornbills migrate from their breeding grounds in Thailand to Malaysia, and if you're lucky enough, you'll get to see 10 species of hornbills in areas like Royal Belum State Park in Perak, where the other nine species of hornbills can be found. Andrew Sebastian, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Ma...

The Malayan Rainforest Station believes in conservation through empowerment. The environmental NGO which is based in Merapoh, Pahang - a unique landscape teeming with biodiversity - has a strong focus on research and wildlife conservation, but they are also working hard on awareness-raising campaigns, and capacity building programs with the local communities in the area, all in the name of environ...

It's been over a year since the Shah Alam City Council proposed to build a road right across the Shah Alam Community Forest. Two hectares of pristine rainforest, hundreds of trees and species, and the forest trails used and loved by many on a daily basis, destroyed forever - for a single road. The battle between the community and state government over this forest continues, and we catch up with th...

With the recent announcement of the 12th Malaysia Plan, we dissect the key points of the environmental agenda under the blueprint with Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia , and discuss whether the proposed strategies will be sufficient to brace the impact of climate change and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, while protecting factors of economic growth and development i...

 In this month's roundup of environmental news with Macaranga's Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, we celebrate the success of Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve being saved from development, albeit after a very long and tiring campaign. We also look at how this issue and the recently tabled Protected Areas Act in Pahang is related to the powers and roles of the state government in deciding what...

Our good friends from Zero Waste Malaysia return, this time to talk about the 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge which will encourage Malaysians to adopt more sustainable habits, one baby step at a time. This new community engaging project is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) and we find out all about what's in store from Zero Waste Malaysia's Khor Sue Yee (Co-founder and Director...

The message is clear - we only have a small window left to save the Malayan tiger. More than just a national icon, tigers play a critical role in maintaining the balance of our forest ecosystem. To know how many tigers still remain in Peninsula Malaysia and where, a definitive new survey is being carried out, and thousands of camera traps have been placed throughout the rainforest, providing a rar...

The message is clear - we only have a small window left to save the Malayan tiger. More than just a national icon, tigers play a critical role in maintaining the balance of our forest ecosystem. To know how many tigers still remain in Peninsula Malaysia and where, a definitive new survey is being carried out, and thousands of camera traps have been placed throughout the rainforest, providing a rar...

Gibbons provide one of nature's most enchanting concerts - welcoming the sunrise with their songs, as a way to mark their territories, celebrate unions and more. But their songs are being used by poachers as a means to track and capture juvenile gibbons for the wildlife pet trade, and coupled with habitat loss, gibbons are being pushed further into the endangered species list. The Gibbon Conservat...

As far as Dr Nurzhafarina Othman is concerned, to ensure the survival of Bornean elephants, people need to understand that we need to co-exist with them. An elephant ecologist and founder of NGO Seratu Aatai, Dr Farina and her team try to find ways for people and wildlife to co-exist peacefully, and to avoid human-elephant conflicts, both inside and outside of protected areas in Sabah. She joins u...

They have a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey, possess the ability to change colour like a chameleon, and to grow weed-like appendages on their body. On top of that, they are socially monogamous, the males are the ones who give birth, and seahorse babies are called "fry"! But across the world, seahorses are in trouble, threatened by habitat loss, and sold in a massive global trade, with tens...

  Project Reef Spawn was a winner of the North American Association for Environmental Education 30 under 30 Changemaker Grant 2021, and was developed to deliver effective environmental education, specifically for the marine environment. The project has three components, which included capacity-development for 12 selected youths through virtual and hands-on activities. Two of the youth who hav...

The mission to keep Taman Rimba Kiara as a park that benefits all continues, as the Federal Court has allowed DBKL and the other parties involved to appeal against the quashing of the development order, and commence with an appeal to reinstate the development over a portion of the public park. We catch up with Hafiz Abu Bakar, the Chairman of the TTDI Residents Association, and Leon Koay, the Comm...

Over 45,000 formal objections, over 130,000 online signatures in protest, a huge turnout at the public hearing against the move, clear and unmistakable dissent from the communities of the Kuala Langat North forest reserve including the Orang Asli, huge public outcry from civil societies and the public in general, 56 representatives in the Selangor State Assembly voting unanimously to support a mot...

In this month's roundup of environmental news with Macaranga's Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, we remember and pay tribute to the late Balu Perumal, MNS's Head of Conservation, who passed away from COVID-19 in early August. We also remember those who lost their lives in the devastating floods in Kedah, and discuss whether logging and deforestation played a part in the devastation caused by the he...

It's becoming clearer that there are connections between democracy and climate change - climate change is impacting democratic governance with its effects on food security, migration and water scarcity. As Malaysia pushes to recover from the pandemic and get back on track to becoming a developed nation, how will we adopt policies to adapt to the climate crisis, reduce our carbon footprint, and ens...

They're a symbol of national pride, of bravery, courage and regalness. The Malayan tiger is prominently featured in our national coat of arms, and Malaysia's football team is also affectionately referred to as ‘Harimau Malaya.’ But the Malayan tiger is also officially listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. According to WWF-Malaysia, there are les...

 When visiting Sabah for the first time back in 1994, Dr Marc Ancrenaz, together with Dr Isabelle Lackman, realised that many orangutans were hanging around in disturbed and over-logged forests. They decided to establish an intensive study site in the fragmented forests of Lower Kinabatangan to study orangutan adaptation to habitat disturbance, and thus, the NGO Hutan was born. Then in 1998,...

 When visiting Sabah for the first time back in 1994, Dr Marc Ancrenaz, together with Dr Isabelle Lackman, realised that many orangutans were hanging around in disturbed and over-logged forests. They decided to establish an intensive study site in the fragmented forests of Lower Kinabatangan to study orangutan adaptation to habitat disturbance, and thus, the NGO Hutan was born. Then in 1998,...