Earth Matters

Since the beginning of the 20th century, we have lost over 95% of the world's wild tiger population.  Celebrated on the 29th of July, Global Tiger Day was launched during the last Chinese Year of the Tiger (2010), with the aim to double the global population of wild tigers by the next Year of the Tiger (2022). We find out how far along we've come to reaching that goal from Dr. Mark Rayan Darm...

Last year, the world was amazed by the news that a new species of orangutan - the Tapanuli orangutan - was found in Batang Toru, Sumatra. Unfortunately, researchers believe that only fewer than 800 of these animals are surviving in a tiny tract of forest. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, the Tapanuli Orangutans are now facing a more dangerous threat in the form of the Chinese-funded Ba...

2018 has been declared as the third International Year of the Reef , to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and to further conserve and manage these valuable ecosystems. Reef Check Malaysia has been doing all this and more for a long time now, but they have even more events planned this year, including participating in the International Coastal Cleanup Day , happening here in Mala...

Giving up meat and dairy in your diet could be the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact on earth, a new study suggests. Researchers have found that while meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, it uses around 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. It also suggests that cutting these products from you...

The KWAP Inspire: Environmental Conference 2018 is a two-day conference, themed “Inspiring Action for a Better Tomorrow”, hosted by KWAP together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as part of the Sustainable Investment Week 2018. Joining us to share more about the conference, and how the finance sector must play a role in the fight against climate change are Dr. Keith Lee, the S...

MareCet is Malaysia's first and only non-profit, non-governmental organization solely dedicated to the research and conservation of marine mammals in our country. We catch up with the co-founders of the organisation, Dr. Louisa Ponnampalam and Fairul Izmal Jamal Hisne, to find out about their continued efforts in working towards increasing scientific knowledge on marine mammals in the region, whil...

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), up to one third of all food is spoiled or squandered before it is consumed by people. Food losses represent a waste of resources used in production such as land, water, energy and inputs, increasing the green gas emissions in vain. A not-for-profit organisation in Malaysia, The Lost Food Project , rescues good food tha...

As is often the case, humans are causing trouble for other species, in this case, turtles. Dr. Chen Pelf Nyok, a turtle researcher and conservationist, believes that without concerted conservation action, many of the world’s turtles and tortoises will become extinct within the next few decades. She joins us to discuss her work in turtle conservation through the Turtle Conservation Society of...

Kaki Repair is a movement to encourage people to repair their spoilt belongings, rather than throw them away and get a new one. Mind you, it's not a repair shop, but a place to learn to fix stuff by yourself. We find out more about this non-profit movement advocating for us all to recycle, reduce and reuse from Johnson Lam, the founder of KakiDIY and the brains behind KakiRepair . See omnystudio.c...

Scientists at the University of Nottingham Malaysia are busy working on a range of research projects, from using papaya leaves to cure dengue, to working out conservation plans for wild elephants in Peninsular Malaysia. Joining us to discuss the University's progress in these areas of research, and why it's relevant to all, is Professor Graham Kendall, the Provost and CEO of the University of Nott...

Gibbons are often considered the forgotten ape, swaying in the shadow of their great cousins, the orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees. They are an endangered species, threatened primarily by loss of their forest habitat, but also other factors like the illegal wildlife trade, the use of their body parts in Chinese medicines, and poaching. Mariani Ramli (Advisor, Gibbon Protection Society...

World Environment Day, commemorated worldwide on the 5th of June, was established by the UN to specifically advance its own environmental efforts. “Beat Plastic Pollution”, is the theme for World Environment Day 2018, and is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. Joining us to discuss how we can commemorate the d...

In many developing countries, environmental action and protection is seen as a burden to development, and presented as unaffordable. As the new Pakatan Harapan-led government takes control, we discuss a list of issues that warrant attention and action to protect Malaysia's natural environment, and the steps needed to rejuvenate it. Our panel of experts discussing this and more are Surin Suksuwan,...

The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is a civil rights organization based in the United States, working to secure legally recognized fundamental rights for nonhuman animals such as apes, cetaceans, and elephants, through litigation, advocacy, and education. We discuss the NhRP's legal attempts to use the writ of habeas corpus to attain legal personhood for animals with Steven Wise , the Founder and...

As our new government gets cracking on rebuilding the nation, a group of concerned conservationists are reminding the Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan to not forget the importance of our natural environment. They have set up an online petition to call upon the Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan to maintain and strengthen a dedicated environmental portfolio within the cabinet. Joining us to discu...

Bats have a bad reputation, mainly due to misinformation and misconceptions. In reality, they provide important functions for the environment, among them pollination for vital crops and seed dispersal. Lim Voon-Ching is a researcher who co-authored the paper, “Pollination implications of the diverse diet of tropical nectar-feeding bats roosting in an urban cave” which was just released...

Initiated by the Global Environment Centre , the National River Care Foundation aims to support efforts by interested groups to protect and enhance river ecosystems, by empowering them to pursue their own river conservation initiatives. We find out more about the Small Grant Programme that helps communities get started from Dr. Kalithasan Kailasan, the Coordinator of the River Care Programme, and...

The Rimba Project is an education/outreach programme based at the Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden, at the University of Malaya. Founded in 2014, the Rimba Project addresses emerging challenges in urban ecology and conservation by advising the UM Estates department on best practice in campus greening; by supporting education and outreach at Rimba Ilmu; and by undertaking new research in urban nature/wild...

Sustainable development is the term for the dual imperative—economic growth and environmental sustainability. But often there is confusion over the business case for going green. Gaurav Gupta, the Regional Director of Dalberg Advisors, works collaboratively across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to fuel inclusive growth. He is also the Director of Unleash, a global innovation l...

Trash Hero is a grassroots organisation whose mission it is to bring communities together to clean and reduce waste. The Kuala Lumpur chapter of this growing global movement, Trash Hero Kuala Lumpur has been doing just that, by collecting thrash and removing existing waste, while also trying to create sustainable, community-based projects that will reduce future waste. We find out more from Amy Po...

Many developed countries exported their recyclable plastic in large amounts to other countries to process, Malaysia being one of them. Though we have since banned the import of plastic scrap, the official definition of plastic scraps remains vague, and the ban also did not halt unregulated or poorly regulated burning and dumping activities of plastic. It's no secret that the global plastic recycli...

In the second part of this week’s episode, we speak to Dr. Cedric Tan, from the University of Oxford Department of Zoology ’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) , which has sought to engage society with conservation through the wide communication of scientific research. Most recently, WildCRU has been developing board games to demonstrate some of the challenges faced by cons...

We often hear the phrase “protecting the environment for our future generation” and many other iterations of this with the same meaning. This week on Earth Matters, we explore two different projects aiming to get the younger generation more interested in environmental conservation efforts. First up, Abyan Junus-Nishizawa and Farah Landemaine are the founders of Anak Rimba Books , and t...

Water is Life, as they say, and fresh water is necessary for the survival of all living organisms on Earth, but it’s also a resource under threat. Only three per cent of water on the planet is freshwater, and only about one per cent is readily available for human use. World Water Day is celebrated annually on the 22nd of March and this year, the theme is "Nature for Water". We find out is me...

With the theme Cut the Greed, not the Green, the Save our Rainforest Race 2018 returns this month, organised by Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam or PEKA Malaysia. We find out more about the race, and also all the good work being carried out by PEKA, from Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, the founder and president of PEKA Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.