Earth Matters

The Living Planet Report, WWF’s flagship publication released every two years, is a comprehensive study of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet. The Living Planet Report 2018 provides the scientific evidence to what nature has been telling us repeatedly: unsustainable human activity is pushing the planet’s natural systems that support life on Earth to the edge. We...

For over 30 years, Subaraj Rajathurai has been championing for the preservation and improved protection of Singapore's natural resources and environment. This self-taught naturalist is also an avid bird-watcher and a licensed nature tour guide, who has been sharing his love for flora and fauna to thousands of people since 1990. He joins us to share his story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

SS20 Central Zone in Damansara Utama was the first neighbourhood in Petaling Jaya to implement a community-wide composting initiative. We speak to some of the residents involved in the zero waste movement on how community composting has helped the neighbourhood become more environmentally-friendly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water, water everywhere, but is there enough to drink? Fresh water is necessary for the survival of all living organisms on Earth, and even though Malaysia is blessed with abundant water resources, are we taking this resource for granted? Joining us is Yang Bahagia, Dato' Mohd Ridhuan Ismail, the CEO of the National Water Services Commission or Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) to discuss...

Description: We revisit some of the best interviews from Earth Matters , from 2018. On this episode, we look-back at stories of those who are dedicated to conserving endangered wildlife. Featured stories include efforts in gibbon conservation , the fight to save the Tapanuli Orangutan and also the Malayan Tiger . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We revisit some of the best interviews from Earth Matters , from 2018. On this episode, we look-back at inspiring stories of concerned citizens who banded together to protect our natural resources and environment from further degradation. Featured stories are Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur 's efforts to improve city planning; The Taman Tun residents’ ongoing battle to protect Taman Rimba Kiara from...

Pulau Kukup National Park is one of the largest uninhabited mangrove forests in the world, and the island was declared a “Wetland of International Importance” under the RAMSAR Convention 1971, back in 2003. News that the national park was to be de-gazetted and converted to sultanate land has caused an uproar and much confusion, so we wade through the muddy waters to find out what's rea...

Parts of the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve might be degazetted for a proposed housing development project. We speak to Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, the spokesperson for the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES) and Global Environment Center (GEC), and Ange Tan, a resident of Taman Amansiara, about the history of Bukit Lagong and why it's an important forest reserve f...

The fight to save Taman Rimba Kiara from development is far from over. The recently gazetted Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 - which was made public on the 12th of November - reveals that the park has been rezoned with the possibility for future development. We speak to Hafiz Abu Bakar, the Chairman of the TTDI Residents Association and Leon Koay, a member of the Save Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group a...

Ahead of the United Nations climate talks next week, Ambassador Artur Lorkowski is in town to discuss Poland’s preparation as host of the event and what challenges lie ahead for climate action. This year, the UNFCCC COP24 will be held in Katowice, Poland from the 3rd to the 14th of December and one of the key outcomes is expected to be the Katowice Rulebook that will decide the practical det...

The Central Forest Spine (CFS) Master Plan for Ecological Linkages is arguably the most important conservation initiative in Malaysia. It was created in 2009 as a government effort to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services by securing landscape connectivity between Peninsular Malaysia’s main forest blocks. Although an excellent and exciting plan on paper, its implementation is proving t...

Budget 2018 was said to not have effectively addressed Malaysia's core environmental issues, so has Budget 2019 filled those gaps, especially in terms of more protection of our natural resources and environment? Joining us to discuss if conservation of the environment was prioritised in this year's budget, is Surin Suksuwan, a conservationist and member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Ar...

A book that educates children on the current plight of the Sumatran Rhinoceros, Let's Try Something New is the second book by authors Abyan Junus-Nishizawa and Farah Landemaine. We find out more about their sophomore project, and how they hope to inspire a new generation of budding conservationists through their books. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pakatan Harapan government in its election manifesto previously pledged to increase renewable energy from the current two per cent, to 20 per cent by 2025 to 2030, and make renewable energy affordable and accessible in Malaysia. The Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) have recently launched several programmes and announced policy changes all geared...

Malaysia’s first and longest-running environmental film festival, the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival , returns for it's 11th installment this year. Under the theme, “Forests, Water and Climate Change”, the film selections will tackle these issues and the environmental heroes that are making a difference in these areas. We find out what’s in store from Yasmin Rasyid, the Fou...

Last month, Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad made a call to utilise coal in Sabah to address Malaysia’s energy needs, and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal followed up by saying that the state will carry out a feasibility study. This plan has caused outrage, especially among the environmental and civil society groups in Sabah, who have previously fought against coal mi...

Though her lands are fertile and rich in biodiversity, Ethiopia grapples with famine and poverty, and relies on food aid to feed its starving population. At the same time, sales of huge land areas by the Ethiopian government to foreign investors, has led not only to starvation, but also forced displacement among Ethiopians as well. In his documentary Dead Donkeys Fear no Hyenas, Swedish film direc...

A nationwide beach clean-up happened on the 22nd of September, in conjunction with the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day. This was part of Reef Check Malaysia's long battle against marine debris, which is also their focus for the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2018. We find out more about this clean-up from Julian Hyde, the general manager of Reef Check Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/l...

The Sungai Bunus Action Group was formed in 2015 under Local Agenda 21 of DBKL, to improve the river quality of Sungai Bunus, and to create more riverine green spaces for the public in the city. We find out more about the efforts that went into the rehabilitation and conservation of this 9km long river that meets Sungai Klang at Kampung Baru and discuss how better river governance and management c...

June Rubis is a Political Ecologist and a doctoral candidate with the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, in the U.K., and a trained Biologist with 12 years experience in the field. Calling herself a "recovering conservationist" she is interested in the human face of conservation other than wildlife research, and is keen to bring in indigenous social science into conservati...

When asked why he ventured into botanical research, world-renowned architect and urban designer Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat simply responded that “I did not know enough. I had to repair my ignorance.” Responsible for designing several concert halls, notably Penang Komtar auditoria & Geodesic Dome (Dewan Tunku) and the Singapore Conference Hall, this polymath now spends much of his ti...

Hornbills are called the farmers of the forest, thanks to their ability to commute over long distances and disperse seeds for plant reproduction. However, large forested areas are needed to sustain hornbill populations, and intense habitat destruction is causing their numbers to decline. Andrew Sebastian, the Co-Founder and CEO of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), joins us...

The Taman Tun residents’ battle to protect Taman Rimba Kiara from development is not yet over, even with a new government in place. We catch up with Leon Koay, the committee coordinator for the Save Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group and Khairudin Rahim, a spokesperson for the TTDI Residents Association, and find out how they have been working to find workable solutions for all the stakeholders...

The concept of “human-wildlife conflict” is becoming central to conservation work, but the mitigation of these conflicts are also said to be one of the greatest challenges for conservation of wildlife worldwide. In conjunction with World Elephant Day , which is celebrated annually on the 12th of August, we take a closer look at how human-elephant conflict plays a role in the decline of...

Called the “rainforests by the sea,” coastal mangroves are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Current estimates indicate that up to 67% of mangroves have been lost to date, and nearly all unprotected mangroves could perish over the next 100 years. It was International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26th, and we get a 101 on the priceless benefits...