The Macaranga #TanahAir Special Project looked at how governance in Malaysia is impacting humans and nature, as well as the related concerns and actions. Ultimately, the question this series wanted to answer was: Are Malaysia's solutions real, when it comes to tackling issues surrounding the climate, ecosystems and pollution? We speak to Wong Siew Lyn, the co-founder of Macaranga, Affendi Yang Amri, a coral reef ecologist from the University of Malaya, and Dr Ng Shin Wei, the Project Manager of ...
Oct 19, 2022•53 min
Plastic plastic everywhere - it's in practically all the packaging we normally use, from household cleaning products to food packaging, and everything in between. Though the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) movement has gained traction, most Malaysians still have a long way to go, in terms of living up to the Reuse Refill and Reduce principles. One small company that has been helping Malaysians reduce their plastic waste is KitaRefill , a refill station which sells everything from environmentally-fr...
Oct 17, 2022•34 min
It's been an eventful past few days – we saw Budget 2023 being tabled on the evening of 7th October, and parliament then being dissolved a few days later on the 10th of October. Though we'll have to wait until after GE15 to see a new tabling of the Budget, we nonetheless still want to dissect Budget 2023, and discuss if conservation of the environment was prioritised in a meaningful way, and what gaps there are that could be filled for its next post-GE15 tabling. Joining us to do that is Thing S...
Oct 12, 2022•34 min
Malaysia's Budget 2023 will be tabled in parliament on the 7th of October, and finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz has said that it will prioritise environmental sustainability and sustainable financing of the economy. Ahead of this, we spoke to three Malaysians working in the environment and conservation field, about their wishlist for Budget 2023. We caught up with Dr Sheeba Chenoli, a meteorologist and senior lecturer from the Department of Geography at the University of Malaya, who is also p...
Oct 05, 2022•44 min
By IUCN estimates, over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. The International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) takes place every September, where volunteers around the world come together to clean beaches and waterways of trash - a global effort that has been running for more than 35 yea...
Oct 03, 2022•30 min
The Baram Heritage Survey is no ordinary scientific study. Instead of sending in grad students, the team from the Borneo Project have hired indigenous village-based field technicians to collect comprehensive wildlife, land use and social data for the very first time. Why indigenous communities? Well they know the context, language, and what every sign and sound they come across means, and have what no university can teach: intergenerational ecological knowledge. The Borneo Project, SAVE Ri...
Sep 28, 2022•30 min
It's that time of the month, where we speak to environmental journalism portal Macaranga 's co-founders, Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn, for a recap of conservation-related news, from the month past. This month, we've had floods on our minds a lot, with floods already happening in parts of the country, and a looming lawsuit against DBKL and the FT Ministry over their flood mitigation plans - or lack thereof. We also discuss the sand mining projects over in Sabah that residents say are destroying ...
Sep 26, 2022•21 min
How can Malaysians normalise sustainable living practices, and aim for a zero waste way of life? With lots of help of course, especially from the good folks at Zero Waste Malaysia, who have been championing this environmentally-friendly lifestyle, while showing proof that it's achievable. They are set to present their 3rd Zero Waste Festival after two years, called "Under the Stars: Zero Waste Festival, and we find out more from Zero Waste Malaysia's Khor Sue Yee (Co-founder and Director) and Ja...
Sep 26, 2022•31 min
Strong community recycling programs can contribute to a healthy united community, and are building blocks for sustainable growing communities. Pejabat ADUN Bukit Gasing has started the Waste Separation and Recycling Initiative in all sections of the Bukit Gasing constituency, allowing residents to separate recyclables and non-recyclables, and they also have an ongoing cash-for-thrash scheme. We find out all about it from YB Rajiv Rishyakaran, the ADUN of Bukit Gasing. Image credit: Rajiv R...
Sep 21, 2022•20 min
Clean air is a basic human right, but air pollution has become one of the greatest environmental risk factors for human health. Exposure to air pollution is a leading global health risk which causes ill health and millions of premature deaths each year worldwide. A recent report titled “ Different Air Under One Sky: The Inequity Air Research ” published by Greenpeace India, estimates that 100% of the population in Malaysia live in areas with air pollution levels that are above the World Health O...
Sep 19, 2022•26 min
We may never know exactly when or where an earthquake will happen, but Navakanesh Batmanathan is working to help educate people and better prepare them, should it happen. A National Geographic Young Explorer in 2017, he has worked to map faults, and the areas around faults, to gain a clearer picture of potential earthquake hazards. Currently a research assistant with the Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative (SEADPRI-UKM), he joins us to share more about his work as an earthquak...
Sep 14, 2022•21 min
For decades now, Adrian Banie Lasimbang has been at the forefront of the movement for sustainable development, and representation for Borneo’s indigenous rural communities. With a long history in grassroots activism, he was the first Malaysian to be awarded the Seacology Prize in 2004 for his success in organising indigenous communities against the unsustainable exploitation of Borneo’s forests, and his leadership on alternative energy projects. A former senator, he also founded TONIBUNG back in...
Sep 12, 2022•50 min
Biodiversity for Malaysia is a monthly series which aims to get everyone on the same page when it comes to all things biodiversity-related, especially on issues surrounding the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework process, the 30X30 target, and more. On this month's episode we ask, what exactly does protecting 30% of the planet’s environment look like, especially for biodiversity-rich but still developing Southeast Asian countries? How will embracing the target prov...
Sep 07, 2022•51 min
In our ongoing series, There's No Planet B, we want to share everything you need to know about the climate crisis. We previously touched on why we're in a climate crisis, the effects of the crisis, and climate governance. In this episode, we want to tackle the three pillars of international climate change law: mitigation, adaptation, and loss & damage. The Paris Agreement discusses loss and damage using the phrase “averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage.” Loss and damage can be ...
Sep 05, 2022•37 min
YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Salleh bin Haji Mohd Nor has spent the better part of his life protecting Malaysia's natural capital. With a long illustrious career to his name – including as the first director-general of the Forest Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), and the president of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) for 30 years – he is an outspoken and highly respected conservationist, unafraid to challenge projects detrimental to the environment. He was instrumental in achieving the gazettement of End...
Aug 29, 2022•39 min
For this month's roundup of environmental news with Macaranga , co-founders Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua first discuss the Perak state government's decision to go ahead with the lanthanide mining pilot project in Gerik, Hulu Perak, and how the state government hopes to address environmental concerns over the project, before turning our attention to some new research by Coralku, which monitored coral tree nurseries for 414 days, and among other things, found that the most common species used for...
Aug 29, 2022•11 min
The ongoing battle to save the Shah Alam Community Forest from being developed continues, the latest update being that two NGOs have filed a judicial review, to challenge the legality of the degazettement of land covering 406ha at the Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve. The two NGOs, Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (PEKA Malaysia) and Persatuan Rimba Komuniti Shah Alam (SACF Society) jointly filed a Judicial Review, to nullify the forest reserve degazettement notification by the Selangor ...
Aug 24, 2022•32 min
YELL stands for Youth Environment Living Labs, and was created to strengthen youth led environmental action, rooted in local, indigenous and traditional knowledge. The aim of YELL is a two-pronged one - to help local youths find their voice in environmental action, and to amplify the existing sustainability efforts among young people. We speak to Wani Nur Imannina, a Youth-Environment Community Facilitator at YELL, and Mogesh Sababathy, the Co-founder of Project Ocean Hope , to find out more.&nb...
Aug 22, 2022•47 min
The Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) is a collaborative research and training facility managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department and Cardiff University. Their research aims to help mitigate the loss of Asian biodiversity by understanding the effects of habitat fragmentation on the ecosystem, while encouraging in-situ conservation and engaging with NGOs, stakeholders, and policy-makers alike. From proboscis monkeys and pangolins to the seladang and sunbears, the group are involved in a range of lo...
Aug 17, 2022•37 min
Established in 2005, EcoKnights' focuses on working with key stakeholders to drive and empower sustainable actions for a better planet. Sustainable community development is at the core of their efforts, whether through on-ground community projects, public-private partnerships, or policy advocacy. We catch up with Fadly Bakhtiar, the Programme Director at EcoKnights, to find out about some of their current projects, including their latest, Old Soles, New Life . This project hopes to create a heal...
Aug 15, 2022•41 min
More than a year ago, in July 2021, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat released the first official draft of a new Global Biodiversity Framework, to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature and its essential services to people. The framework includes 21 targets for 2030, and there has been particular interest in Target 3, a global target known colloquially as ’30×30′ which aims to protect and conserve 30% of the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, ...
Aug 10, 2022•30 min
The Sunda or Diardi’s Clouded Leopard was only identified to science in 2006, when genetic research indicated they were a separate species from the mainland Clouded Leopard. Named as such because of the large, blotchy, cloud-like markings on their body, Sunda Clouded Leopards are said to be only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN's Red List, a major threat to their existence is habitat loss, but they are also poached for the illegal wildlife trade. ...
Aug 08, 2022•33 min
The U.N. General Assembly — the highest UN body that wields considerable influence over its member states — adopted a historic resolution: the recognition that it’s a universal human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, on the 29th of July 2022. The resolution has been five decades in the making, and is described as an important tool for accountability and climate justice. But as a non-legally binding resolution, can it still serve as a catalyst for change and climate a...
Aug 03, 2022•42 min
According to a recent report in Macaranga, plantation company AA Sawit Sdn Bhd has just submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report to get federal approval for its new plantations in Johor. However, the development on the site had already begun two years ago, with satellite images showing that between 2020—2021, more than 600 ha of forests on the 3,775 ha site in Endau, northeast Johor, were cleared. Why did the state and local authorities allow logging to commence without an ...
Aug 01, 2022•39 min
It's estimated that fewer than 150 Malayan tigers remain in the wild in Peninsula Malaysia, led to near extinction by the usual suspects of poaching and habitat loss. But efforts have been stepped up through the years, not only from hard working NGO's, but through the establishment of the National Tiger Task Force headed by the prime minister, and the setting up of a Wildlife Crime Bureau under the police. What more can be done? We speak to Christopher Wong, the Tiger Lead at WWF-Malaysia , ahea...
Jul 27, 2022•23 min
Every last Monday of the month, we gather for a roundup of important environmental news from the month past, with the good folks of journalism portal, Macaranga . This month, Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn, co-founders of Macaranga, join us to discuss how over 53 NGOs are calling for more transparency surrounding environmental impact assessments (EIAs) by the Department of Environment, before we turn to the promising news that the DEWAN Rakyat has approved the National Forestry (Amendment) Bill (...
Jul 25, 2022•21 min
We've seen the reports and news headlines: "Our planet is choking on plastic" "Microplastics: Polluting our blood, foetuses - and now the dairy and meat we eat." Along with the climate and biodiversity loss crises, pollution - including air and plastic pollution - is the third part of the Triple Planetary Crisis. How can we be part of the solution to end plastic pollution? In conjunction with #PlasticFreeJuly, we discuss this and more on this month's episode of Plastic Soup - an ongoing se...
Jul 25, 2022•31 min
Biodiversity for Malaysia is a monthly series which aims to get everyone on the same page when it comes to all things biodiversity-related, especially on issues surrounding the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework process, the 30X30 target, and more. As we've been discussing over the past few months, there has been little progress on negotiations for a new Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Talks in Geneva in March had little progress, and the recently convened talk...
Jul 20, 2022•37 min
The Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link or PJD LINK is a proposed 34.3 km, 2 lane dual carriageway expressway, which, as per its description, will act as a traffic dispersal for the Petaling Jaya area, and serve as an alternative to traffic congested areas. Fully funded by the private sector without government subsidies, the proposed highway - which will be a tolled one - is also being mooted as a means to stimulate the economy which has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are man...
Jul 18, 2022•47 min
A biologist turned wildlife photographer, Chien Lee began his career in northern California as an environmental educator, before moving to Sarawak in 1996, which has been his base ever since. Using the power of photography to help more of us understand the beauty and wonders of nature, his works are also a powerful reminder of all the natural heritage that needs protection, as we face the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. We speak to Chien about his career as a naturalist and ...
Jul 13, 2022•40 min
