Earth Matters

Rising more than 1000m above sea level on the Titiwangsa Range, and straddling the Pahang-Selangor border, Fraser’s Hill is a highland rainforest area that is a popular ecotourism getaway for many. The sudden demolition of both the colonial-style Maybank Lodge and Jelai Resort last month, and the proposed construction of a 15-storey building Resort & Spa on the site has shocked residents...

Scott Poynton 's passion lies in helping create more positive change in the world, and he has spent his life working to bring change in highly complex, challenging situations. The founder of The Forest Trust (TFT), Scott used his time at TFT to help some of the world’s largest companies transform the way they source their products. Though still working on forests, Scott's focus has now pivot...

Humans and elephants have ‘co-existed for millenia’ in the Malay Peninsula. For his dissertation , Lim Teckwyn, from the Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants Project , studied human-elephant relations, from both social and ecological perspectives. In particular, he examined the intertwined histories of humans and elephants in Belum-Temengor, by exploring the history of eleph...

They've been sailing and living aboard a 41ft Morgan Out Island monohull yacht called 'Sea Monkey' since 2014, after leaving their regular life behind in Brisbane. Calling themselves the Sea Monkeys, this family of four works on many aspects of aiding the problem of global plastic pollution. We find out more about their work and adventures from father-daughter duo Carlos Steenland and Sydney Steen...

SL Wong and Law Yao Hua, the editors of Macaranga.org, return for their monthly show, to discuss major environmental news from July this year, and to highlight events and issues to look out for in August. This month, we discuss the passing of pioneering Malaysian zoologist Dr Lim Boo Liat, and the challenges to replicate his efforts in the current academic climate. We also take a look at how the p...

The Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC), was established in 2012 to restore tropical rainforests and address the critical rate of biodiversity loss in Malaysia. TRCRC’s mission is two-fold: to preserve tropical rainforest plant species and lead landscape-wide protection and reforestation projects throughout the country. Joining us to shed more light on the work they...

Zero Waste Malaysia have been working hard to create awareness on the zero waste lifestyle, which essentially wants people to shift from the take-make-dispose culture, and move towards practicing  environmentally-responsible habits. They have shared the zero-waste gospel to many Malaysians, and the latest feather to their cap is the launching of a Lesson Plan and virtual classroom which will...

She's known as "Mek Tuntung" among locals - Dr. Chen Pelf Nyok is the co-founder of the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia , and is a freshwater turtle researcher and conservationist based in Kemaman, Terengganu. She has long been working to help in the recovery of depleted wild populations of turtles, with particular reference to freshwater turtles, in Malaysia. She joins us to discuss her w...

SL Wong and Law Yao Hua, the editors of Macaranga.org, join us for their monthly show, to discuss major environmental news from June this year, and to highlight events and issues to look out for in July. Macaranga.org is a journalism portal covering environment and sustainability-related topics in Malaysia.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many islands, their social, economic and environmental well being is tied strongly to the fate of a single sector: tourism. But badly planned tourism risks depleting biodiversity, degrading land and polluting the seas. Using Tioman Island as a case study, Reef Check Malaysia, the local chapter of the world’s largest international coral reef monitoring programme, released a paper titled:...

For many islands, their social, economic and environmental well being is tied strongly to the fate of a single sector: tourism. But badly planned tourism risks depleting biodiversity, degrading land and polluting the seas. Using Tioman Island as a case study, Reef Check Malaysia, the local chapter of the world’s largest international coral reef monitoring programme, released a paper titled:...

The PONGO Alliance is an alliance of oil palm growers, businesses and NGOs, who aim to make resilient landscapes for wildlife and people, by seeking ways to allow lands outside protected areas to play a role in conserving wildlife. We find out more about the alliance and how they are working to create a Human and Orangutan Coexistence Landscape, from its Executive Director, Dr John Payne, and also...

In a matter of months, the world has changed. Covid-19 has changed the way we live and the pandemic's stay-at-home orders have brought a welcome relief in many places from air pollution and the worsening environment. In Malaysia, we also had a change in government and a new Cabinet, which included the reshuffling of environment-related ministries and portfolios. With a global call to build back be...

COVID-19 has upended lives and livelihoods across the planet, and it's impact is not only being felt on land, but at sea too, and is affecting our “blue economy.” How can we take advantage of this great pause, and use this window of opportunity offered by reduced emissions and energy demand, to protect the marine environment better? In conjunction with World Oceans Day on the 8th of Ju...

Macaranga is a journalism portal covering environment and sustainability-related topics in Malaysia. Helmed by writers Law Yao Hua and SL Wong, the duo aim to provide relevant and insightful content that builds knowledge on ecosystems, through the portal. In their first monthly episode on Earth Matters, both the editors of Macaranga join us to give a wrap-up of major environmental news from April...

Across the world, many wildlife reserves and animal sanctuaries have been severely impacted by the coronavirus lockdown measures which has led to reduced tourism, and a shortage of funds to support their conservation work. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre , the only sun bear conservation centre in the world, is also being impacted by Malaysia's Movement Control Order, as they rely on funds...

The current Movement Control Order (MCO) and the suspension of activities by NGOs by the Registrar of Societies, have made it impossible to have any proper assessment of impacts or dialogue on the proposed degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve. So it came as a surprise when the Selangor state government announced it would soon conduct a public hearing session for the proposed dega...

Water is one of the basic necessities of life, which we use almost without thinking, and this can lead to significant waste. While we're always advised on how much water we should drink daily, we don't really hear much about the amount of water we are wasting, water scarcity, or how we can reduce usage. This World Water Day, we speak to Norizan Mohd Mazlan, the Head of Conservation in Peninsular M...

A report released by wildlife trade monitoring organisation Traffic has concluded that a new strategy is urgently needed to curb wildlife trafficking in southeast Asia, one of the world’s biggest biodiversity hotspots. The report, titled Southeast Asia: At the heart of wildlife trade, has detailed how organised criminal networks aided by wildlife cybercrime, inadequate laws and dismal convic...

The Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR) currently covers about 958ha of peat swamp forest – a small remnant of a much larger forest that was degazetted and converted for development over the last 50 years. This forest reserve has been home to the Temuan tribe for more than a hundred years, and it also supports critically endangered species such as the Malayan Sun Bear, Selangor Pygmy F...

The UN Conference of Parties (COP) 25 which was held last year in Madrid, Spain, was deemed as a failure by many. Both activists and experts who attended observed that there has never been a bigger disconnect between “what the science requires and negotiations delivered in terms of meaningful action.” What went wrong? Kingsley Goh and Tan Cai May, who represented the Malaysian Youth De...

Creating Future-Proof Cities is a publication that aims to serve as a practical guide to individuals, communities and cities to step up action to curb the rise of global temperatures and adapt to future norms. The book also aims to demystify the climate crisis and prescribes a localised response, using Penang, Malaysia, as a case study. We find out more from the authors of the book, Murali Ram and...

Celebrated every year on the 2nd of February, World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on the same day in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Wetlands are vital for humans, for other ecosystems and for our climate, providing essential ecosystem services such as water regulation, including flood control and water purification....

Flying foxes are giant fruit bats, and are one of the most threatened groups of bats in the world, with their numbers declining sharply due to hunting and habitat loss. They play a critical dual role in forest maintenance and regeneration as pollinators and seed dispersers, and are particularly important for pollinating durian trees. Rimba’s Project Pteropus has been working on flying fox co...

The unprecedented and catastrophic bushfires in Australia have killed more than 25 people, burned hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, caused massive devastation to wildlife, ecosystems and the environment, and destroyed hundreds of homes. Even as the world tries to grapple with the enormity of the crisis, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been facing mounting criticism over his g...