Asian elephants are the largest land mammals on the Asian continent and play a crucial role as keystone species and ecosystem engineers. Distinguished by their smaller ears and domed heads compared to their African counterparts, these gentle giants once roamed across diverse habitats from grasslands to rainforests throughout Asia. However, their population has sharply declined due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and human-elephant conflicts. It's conjunction with World Elephant Day, celebrated a...
Aug 12, 2024•42 min
The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is globally recognised as a barometer of the world’s biodiversity. This year, the Red list includes over 163,000 species of animals, fungi, and plants, with 28% of them threatened with extinction. One notable mention: our very own Bornean pygmy elephant. Scientists believe there are only about 1,000 animals remaining in the wild, with their population declining over the past 75 years due primarily to exten...
Aug 07, 2024•35 min
In a significant victory for wildlife protection, authorities in Malaysia seized over 1,000 parts from endangered species like Malayan tigers and leopards near Taman Negara National Park not too long ago. Four individuals were arrested, and this massive operation highlights the critical role of increased enforcement in protecting our biodiversity hotspots. We discuss the impact of this seizure, the ongoing fight against wildlife poaching and trafficking, and also the importance of continued inve...
Aug 05, 2024•29 min
With the simple motto to “Recycle, Reduce, Reuse” KakiDIY have been doing just that, through their movement of DIY enthusiasts. Together, they have greatly reduced waste by reusing broken items around them, either by repairing them or making it into something new. Celebrating their 7th anniversary this July, we catch up with Johnson Lam, the Founder of KakiDIY and KakiRepair, to discuss the growth and impact of this grassroots fixer-upper group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Jul 31, 2024•41 min
As July wraps up, we too want to bring you a roundup of the top environmental news from the month past, with the co-founders of environmental journalism portal, Macaranga . Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua join us once again, first to discuss Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage efforts in Malaysia, which have been ramping up significantly, and why it's being championed as a climate solution. In conjunction with Global Tiger Day celebrated on the 29th of July, we also take a look at how our Mala...
Jul 29, 2024•21 min
Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Through the series, we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. In light of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem that was on the 26th of July, we speak to Dr. Ahmad Aldrie Amir, an Associate Professor at the Institute for ...
Jul 29, 2024•37 min
Anak Rimba Books has a clear goal: to inspire a generation of children to cherish the planet. Founded by Abyan Junus-Nishizawa and Farah Landemaine, this publishing house is dedicated to creating beautifully illustrated children's books, to educate young readers about nature and endangered Asian species. To date, they have released six delightful and impactful stories, and have expanded into other forms of storytelling too, including film. We catch up with them to discuss their ongoing mission t...
Jul 24, 2024•40 min
Problematic forest plantations prompted Malaysia to call for a 15-year moratorium on new projects in Peninsular Malaysia, to buy time to plug the gaps in the system. But two and a half years on, states are still licensing planters to clear new sites. Why? In Macaranga's latest series , environmental journalist Law Yao Hua follows up on the issue of forest plantations in forest reserves, which is said to be one of the biggest drivers of forest loss in Peninsular Malaysia. Yao Hua joins us to delv...
Jul 22, 2024•50 min
Assistant Professor Dr John S. Ascher is an entomologist with the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore, who has been described as the world's leading native bee taxonomist. Also a Research Associate at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore, he joins us to share more about his work, which includes helping to create a world map of bee species, in order to enhance understanding of the geographical distributions of bee species, and to create a co...
Jul 17, 2024•52 min
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has identified the need for Southeast Asia to have an environmental rights instrument to strengthen the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)'s commitment to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The hope for the declaration is to emphasise the importance of environmental rights as part of human rights, aiming to create a framework for their promotion and protection within ASEAN, ensuring sustainable development and the...
Jul 15, 2024•38 min
The ASEAN Declaration On The Right To A Safe, Clean, (Healthy), Sustainable Environment aims to provide an unprecedented regional framework, to push for the implementation of international environmental rights standards. These include the 2022 U.N. General Assembly Resolution of access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right. This would be the region’s first-ever policy instrument on environmental rights, and once adopted, the Declaration will guide ASEAN membe...
Jul 10, 2024•43 min
Every year during the first weekend of July, a unique global event flickers to life – World Firefly Day . Held to commemorate the importance of fireflies in our ecosystems, World Firefly Day also aims to highlight the ongoing threats these luminous beetles are facing, including habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. We speak to Dr Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh , a Senior Lecturer for Biodiversity & Conservation at the School of Science, from Monash University Malaysia, and the co-Chai...
Jul 03, 2024•37 min
The Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises in Malaysia. Founded in 2011, TCS is involved in a variety of activities aimed at protecting these endangered species, including research, habitat protection, and community outreach. Over the years, TCS has spearheaded several outreach programmes designed to raise awareness and involve the community in conservation activities, and today on the show, we ...
Jul 01, 2024•29 min
Tucked away in the serene neighbourhood of Sri Hartamas is a delightful garden of edible plants and flowers known as Kebun Komuniti Hartamas (KKH). Initiated by a group of like-minded neighbours in August 2020, this space has transformed into a hub of community activity. Designed by the community and for the community, the garden aims to support those in need while promoting gardening knowledge and awareness. Flourishing now, under the TNB high wires in the area, the garden features over 70 diff...
Jun 30, 2024•23 min
Marking the midway point to the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan this November, the Bonn Climate Change Conference recently concluded earlier this month, and financial disputes were said to be at the heart of the talks. With less than five months to go before COP29 in Baku, this mid-way climate meeting hosted by the UNFCCC saw developed and developing countries continuing to battle over who should provide the trillions of dollars required to tackle the climate crisis across the g...
Jun 26, 2024•40 min
As we close off June, it's time for our monthly Macaranga wrap-up show, where we give you a rundown of the top environmental news from the month past, curated by the co-founders of the environmental journalism portal, Macaranga . Today we are joined by Law Yao Hua to discuss three main topics, first, the deaths of a mother elephant and her three calves in Johor - was poisoning the culprit? Next, we turn our attention to a study which points to Malaysia as topping the list of countries with the h...
Jun 24, 2024•22 min
Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Through the series, we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. This month, we speak to Dr Louisa Ponnampalam, the Chairperson of the MareCet Research Organisation about ecotourism opportunities in Mersing, Johor, and the islands nearby, specifically two...
Jun 23, 2024•24 min
Macaranga's latest article, "Listen to the Birds to Save Mangroves" is an in-depth look at the critical interdependence between mangrove forests and bird populations in Malaysia. We know that mangrove forests are at risk here in Malaysia, mainly due to fragmentation caused by infrastructure development. This fragmentation endangers not only the mangroves but also the wildlife that depends on them. We discuss the importance of mangroves, not only for coastal protection, but also for maintaining b...
Jun 19, 2024•42 min
We recently celebrated World Oceans Day and World Coral Triangle Day, awareness days meant to reflect on the critical issues facing our oceans and coral reefs. With the ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event, the urgency to address these challenges has never been greater. Reef Check Malaysia is at the forefront of marine conservation efforts, working tirelessly to monitor and protect the health of coral reefs and marine ecosystems. We catch up with Reef Check Malaysia 's CEO Julian Hyde, an...
Jun 12, 2024•33 min
You might not think of mangroves as part of the ocean, but these coastal, salt-tolerant trees sustain a vibrant ecosystem intricately linked to tropical and subtropical ocean regions worldwide. It was World Oceans Day on the 8th of June, and we want to explore how mangroves contribute to the overall health of the ocean ecosystem, and how it may be nature’s solution to ocean acidification, with Dr. Ahmad Aldrie Amir, a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute for Environment and Devel...
Jun 10, 2024•50 min
It was the Day of Action Against Incineration on the 3rd of June, organised by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) in Asia Pacific, to draw attention to the negative impacts of waste incineration, and shift public finance to real solutions in waste and climate change. In our first episode of this two-part series, we caught up with Albrecht Arevalo, a Climate & Anti-Incineration Campaigner with GAIA Asia Pacific, and Dr Tan Ching Seong, the co-founder of Gabungan Anti Insi...
Jun 05, 2024•53 min
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) in Asia Pacific are set to hold a Day of Action Against Incineration this 3rd of June. Incinerators are considered highly toxic, expensive, and dangerous, contributing significantly to climate change by emitting 68% more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than coal plants. GAIA and its allies are rallying people to call on governments to completely phase out incineration, and invest more in clean energy and zero-waste solutions. In this fi...
May 29, 2024•44 min
With May almost behind us, it's time once more for our monthly Macaranga wrap-up show, where we give you a rundown of the top environmental news from the month past, curated by the co-founders of the environmental journalism portal Macaranga - Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn. This month, we tackle three topics, first we discuss Endangered Species Day - celebrated annually on the third Friday of May - where we'll look at new research published on some of Malaysia's endangered species. Next we turn ...
May 27, 2024•21 min
Macaranga's latest article - Floods, Rising Seas Make Dumps More Dangerous - highlights the escalating dangers posed by landfills, amidst the backdrop of climate change-induced floods, rising sea levels, and other environmental impacts, by focusing on Malaysia's waste management crisis. Landfills, once deemed a solution, now exacerbates environmental and health risks due to their vulnerability to climate-related disasters and inadequate waste management practices, and with only a fraction of Mal...
May 15, 2024•48 min
There are serious flaws in plastic offsets, credits and plastic neutrality, according to the report: Smoke and Mirrors - The Realities of Plastic Credits and Offsetting. Building on research published by SourceMaterial and Bloomberg, with original research by Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the report looks at two of the main proponents of plastic offsetting — Verra and Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) — which were analysed to provide a sn...
May 13, 2024•43 min
The wildlife conservation landscape in Malaysia, is changing, and while there have been many wins, such as recent amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act, there remains challenges, such as the delays in the actual enforcement of the Act, which threaten their efficacy. A comparison between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah's wildlife legislation underscores the need for tailored, comprehensive frameworks to address unique ecological needs and challenges. Notably, Sabah's Wildlife Conservation Ena...
May 07, 2024•27 min
Established in 2012 and run by a team of passionate researcher-conservationists, MareCet is Malaysia's first and only non-profit NGO that is dedicated to the research and conservation of marine mammals in Malaysia. A bulk of their work focuses on increasing scientific knowledge through research, they are also keen to educate and transfer knowledge to us all, to create positive impact and change. Some of their ways of doing that is through their marine education and excursion programs, where we g...
May 06, 2024•49 min
As we close off April, it's time for our monthly Macaranga wrap-up show, where we give you a rundown of the top environmental news from the month past, curated by the co-founders of the environmental journalism portal, Macaranga . We speak to Law Yao Hua to discuss some major updates on the ongoing Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) saga, before turning our attention to what is set to be the first open trial on rhino horn trafficking activities, in Malaysia’s courts. We also chat about the ...
Apr 29, 2024•19 min
Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report b...
Apr 29, 2024•24 min
Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report b...
Apr 24, 2024•45 min
