Earth Matters
385 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago -Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.
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Episodes
Missing Voices - Why COP26 Failed Women from the Global South
November 22, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB"Gender and climate are profoundly intertwined." This was asserted by Alok Sharma, the COP26 President. But were the voices of women, especially those from developing and poorer nations, heard and taken seriously at the recently concluded COP26 in Glasgow? We speak to activist Ana Celestial, who is a member of both the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, and the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), to understand why many believe there was a deliberate exclus...
Sabah - A Slice of Tropical Paradise
November 17, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBJacques Cousteau, the late world-renowned oceanographer, once described Pulau Sipadan as an untouched piece of art. But Sipadan is just one of the many breathtaking islands in Sabah, whose waters are renowned for its exceptional marine biodiversity and beautiful, healthy coral reefs. If you're looking for your next Cuti-Cuti Malaysia underwater adventure, find out why Sabah's islands should be on your list from Johnny Chew, the owner of Dive Borneo Bah! Sdn Bhd. This Sabah native is also a ...
COP26 - Fruitful or Failure?
November 15, 2021 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBThe COP26 climate summit was arguably one of the most important diplomatic meetings in history. Were the negotiations to ensure action to deal with the climate emergency a success, or a failure? We find out what went down in Glasgow from Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Head of Programmes at the Third World Network (TWN), who was at the conference. Image credit: flickr.com
Cuti-cuti in Pangkor Island!
November 10, 2021 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBPristine white beaches, jungles, mangrove forests, mountains, charming fishing villages, amazing local delicacies - Perak's Pangkor Island has so much to offer for travellers looking for their next Cuti-Cuti Malaysia stop. As the saying goes, “tak kenal, maka tak cinta” so we find more about what Pangkor has to offer from YB Dato Nolee Ashilin binti Datuk Muhammed Radzi, the Perak State Housing, Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman, who gives us an insider's scoop on all things P...
The Climate Crisis is a Child Rights Crisis
November 08, 2021 07:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBThere's a saying: We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Sadly, we seem to be poor borrowers, giving back a planet riddled with environmental degradation for our kids to deal with, and a climate crisis to boot. No child is responsible for rising global temperatures, but they will pay the highest costs. A new exploratory study by UNICEF Malaysia, together with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sabah has revealed crucial interconne...
A Guide To Breaking Up With Plastic
November 03, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBThink of this sobering thought - every piece of plastic you have ever touched is still on Earth. Whether intact or disintegrating, it's here. The plastic pollution crisis was bad enough before the pandemic, but the response to COVID-19 has also resulted in increased use of plastic-based products such as reusable masks, gloves and even more packaging as we shopped online more, just to name a few. How do we move away from this bad romance with plastic? Greenpeace Malaysia would like to help, ...
Budget 2022: How Will We Protect Malaysia's Environment and Biodiversity?
November 01, 2021 07:35 - 8 minutes - 7.83 MBIn tabling Budget 2022, the government has said it is committed to strengthening the nation’s sustainability agenda. We look at what has been promised under this year's budget, specifically in terms of protecting Malaysia's priceless environment and biodiversity, with Andrew Sebastian, the President and CEO of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY). Brought to you by Mah Sing; Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Image credit: EPA-EFE
Budget 2022: Is Environmental Sustainability on the Agenda?
November 01, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBWe dissect Budget 2022, and discuss if conservation of the environment was prioritised in this year's budget with Sharan Raj, a Central Committee Member of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). We also focus on the government's plans to provide full exemption from import and excise duties as well as sales tax for Electric Vehicles (EV), to support the development of the local EV industry, and the impacts of this decision. Brought to you by Mah Sing; Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Editor's note: ...
The Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2021
October 27, 2021 07:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBThe Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2021 was tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat earlier this month, and will include new provisions, namely Section 88A and 88B, that provide for punishments for those who organise wildlife shows and promote wildlife. We discuss the proposed amendments and whether it will go far enough to fill the loopholes in existing wildlife laws, with Mariani Ramli (President, Hak Asasi Hidupan Liar Malaysia (HIDUP) and Rajesh Nagarajan (Animal Rights...
Macaranga Wrap-up: October 2021
October 25, 2021 07:35 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBWe discuss some of the biggest environment-related news from October, with Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the Co-Founders, Co-Editors and Writers from Macaranga, including the Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2021, Malaysia's ambitious target of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by as early as 2050, and also the intense and unusual flooding in Penampang, Sabah, and how improperly planned and rampant development may be playing a part in this. Image credit: shutterstock.com
Bats For Malaysia!
October 25, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBIt's Bat Week this week, an international, annual celebration created to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. In line with that, we pay tribute to these tiny ecosystem services providers, who, although hardly seen, are hard at work all around the world each night, busy working on so many things, from pest control to plant pollination. Joining us to share why bats are so awesome are the folks from the research group Rimba's Project Pteropus, Dr Sheema Abdul Aziz (Principal I...
Adopting the One Health Approach in the Tropics
October 20, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBThe “One Health” concept isn't something new. It's been described as an idea that had been known for more than a century; that human health and animal health are interdependent, and bound to the health of the ecosystems in which they exist. We do a 101 on this approach on today's show, and also specifically explore how the One Health approach can offer solutions to the health problems of the tropics, with Professor Dr Latiffah Hassan, a veterinary public health epidemiologist and academici...
Taman Tugu - From Dumping Ground to Public Park
October 18, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MBA public park, run by a public trust, in perpetuity - that's the plan for the very popular Taman Tugu, a 66-acre rehabilitated and regenerated forest park in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. With more than 5km of forest trails which is open and free to all, the park was initially set to be converted into a for-profit tourist attraction theme-park, before it was protected. We speak to Calvin Jacob, the Executive Director of the Taman Tugu Project and Tracey Surin, Taman Tugu Project's Head of Fund...
Permaculture - Farming For the Future
October 13, 2021 07:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBMost of us understand that our relationship with the planet isn't great, and that for humanity to survive, we need to make some changes, and fast. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but one simple way forward is available in the form of Permaculture, which allows everyone the chance to be part of a transition to a more eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable future. How? We find out from two permaculture advocates and practitioners, Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz, the co-founder of SEEDS Malaysia, and Jum...
Combatting Conservation Crimes
October 11, 2021 07:00 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBLive hornbills, dead green sea turtles, live gibbons, horns from dead rhinos - just some of the seizures made by authorities, over the past two months alone. Dead or alive, these and more wildlife are still being actively traded all over Southeast Asia and the world. How do we even begin to combat these massive conservation crimes, which includes the illegal wildlife trade? We discuss this and more with Elizabeth John, a Senior Communications Officer at TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, an NGO workin...
An Expedition to the World's Hornbill Capital
October 06, 2021 07:40 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBIt's that time of the year again, when plain pouched hornbills migrate from their breeding grounds in Thailand to Malaysia, and if you're lucky enough, you'll get to see 10 species of hornbills in areas like Royal Belum State Park in Perak, where the other nine species of hornbills can be found. Andrew Sebastian, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) joins us once again for a quick refresher on hornbills in Malaysia, and to share more on...
Malayan Rainforest Station - Conservation through Empowerment
October 06, 2021 07:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBThe Malayan Rainforest Station believes in conservation through empowerment. The environmental NGO which is based in Merapoh, Pahang - a unique landscape teeming with biodiversity - has a strong focus on research and wildlife conservation, but they are also working hard on awareness-raising campaigns, and capacity building programs with the local communities in the area, all in the name of environmental conservation. We find out more from Izereen Mukri, who is the President of Malayan Rainf...
On a Road to Nowhere
October 04, 2021 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBIt's been over a year since the Shah Alam City Council proposed to build a road right across the Shah Alam Community Forest. Two hectares of pristine rainforest, hundreds of trees and species, and the forest trails used and loved by many on a daily basis, destroyed forever - for a single road. The battle between the community and state government over this forest continues, and we catch up with the folks from the Shah Alam Community Forest (SACF) Society, Alicia Teoh (Founder & Secretary) a...
The 12th Malaysia Plan & Environmental Sustainability
September 29, 2021 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBWith the recent announcement of the 12th Malaysia Plan, we dissect the key points of the environmental agenda under the blueprint with Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, and discuss whether the proposed strategies will be sufficient to brace the impact of climate change and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, while protecting factors of economic growth and development in Malaysia. Image credits: TheEdgeMarkets.com and Pixabay.com
Macaranga Wrap-up: September 2021
September 27, 2021 07:35 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this month's roundup of environmental news with Macaranga's Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, we celebrate the success of Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve being saved from development, albeit after a very long and tiring campaign. We also look at how this issue and the recently tabled Protected Areas Act in Pahang is related to the powers and roles of the state government in deciding what to conserve or not. Next, we discuss how Malaysian authorities seized smuggled hornbills and rhinoceros...
30 Days to a New Zero-Waste You!
September 27, 2021 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBOur good friends from Zero Waste Malaysia return, this time to talk about the 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge which will encourage Malaysians to adopt more sustainable habits, one baby step at a time. This new community engaging project is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) and we find out all about what's in store from Zero Waste Malaysia's Khor Sue Yee (Co-founder and Director) and Jasreel Lim (Head of Finance & Funding and External Relations). Image credit: Zero Waste...
Hunter/Hunted - Malaysia's Last Tigers
September 22, 2021 07:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBThe message is clear - we only have a small window left to save the Malayan tiger. More than just a national icon, tigers play a critical role in maintaining the balance of our forest ecosystem. To know how many tigers still remain in Peninsula Malaysia and where, a definitive new survey is being carried out, and thousands of camera traps have been placed throughout the rainforest, providing a rare insight into what happens deep in our rainforests, but also the dangers that lurk within. The...
Gibbon It All They've Got
September 20, 2021 07:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBGibbons provide one of nature's most enchanting concerts - welcoming the sunrise with their songs, as a way to mark their territories, celebrate unions and more. But their songs are being used by poachers as a means to track and capture juvenile gibbons for the wildlife pet trade, and coupled with habitat loss, gibbons are being pushed further into the endangered species list. The Gibbon Conservation Society have been working tirelessly to rescue gibbons who have been poached and kept illeg...
Bornean Elephant Conservation - No Easy 'Tusk'
September 15, 2021 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBAs far as Dr Nurzhafarina Othman is concerned, to ensure the survival of Bornean elephants, people need to understand that we need to co-exist with them. An elephant ecologist and founder of NGO Seratu Aatai, Dr Farina and her team try to find ways for people and wildlife to co-exist peacefully, and to avoid human-elephant conflicts, both inside and outside of protected areas in Sabah. She joins us for a 101 on this smallest Asian elephant subspecies - classified by the International Union...
SOS for Seahorses
September 13, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBThey have a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey, possess the ability to change colour like a chameleon, and to grow weed-like appendages on their body. On top of that, they are socially monogamous, the males are the ones who give birth, and seahorse babies are called "fry"! But across the world, seahorses are in trouble, threatened by habitat loss, and sold in a massive global trade, with tens of millions of them taken from the sea each year. Scientists say this can’t go on, or seahorse...
Live Spawn, and Prosper!
September 08, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBProject Reef Spawn was a winner of the North American Association for Environmental Education 30 under 30 Changemaker Grant 2021, and was developed to deliver effective environmental education, specifically for the marine environment. The project has three components, which included capacity-development for 12 selected youths through virtual and hands-on activities. Two of the youth who have completed the virtual part, Priyangka Gunasagaran and Muhammad Irfan Hazim bin Mowardi, join us to ...
TTDI vs DBKL: Appeals, Land Conversions, Unmeaningful Public Consultation
September 06, 2021 07:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBThe mission to keep Taman Rimba Kiara as a park that benefits all continues, as the Federal Court has allowed DBKL and the other parties involved to appeal against the quashing of the development order, and commence with an appeal to reinstate the development over a portion of the public park. We catch up with Hafiz Abu Bakar, the Chairman of the TTDI Residents Association, and Leon Koay, the Committee Coordinator of the Save Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group about this new development in the...
No Hope for Hutan Simpan Kuala Langat Utara?
September 01, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBOver 45,000 formal objections, over 130,000 online signatures in protest, a huge turnout at the public hearing against the move, clear and unmistakable dissent from the communities of the Kuala Langat North forest reserve including the Orang Asli, huge public outcry from civil societies and the public in general, 56 representatives in the Selangor State Assembly voting unanimously to support a motion to protect all forest reserves in Selangor. Despite all this, the Selangor State Executive ...
Macaranga Wrap-up: August 2021
August 30, 2021 07:30 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBIn this month's roundup of environmental news with Macaranga's Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, we remember and pay tribute to the late Balu Perumal, MNS's Head of Conservation, who passed away from COVID-19 in early August. We also remember those who lost their lives in the devastating floods in Kedah, and discuss whether logging and deforestation played a part in the devastation caused by the heavy rainfall. Finally, we look at how the banteng - the wild cattle of Borneo - are being poached t...
Merdeka 2021: Young, Restless, and In Pursuit of Climate Justice
August 30, 2021 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBIt's becoming clearer that there are connections between democracy and climate change - climate change is impacting democratic governance with its effects on food security, migration and water scarcity. As Malaysia pushes to recover from the pandemic and get back on track to becoming a developed nation, how will we adopt policies to adapt to the climate crisis, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure our future stability? How must leaders, especially the freshly minted Malaysian Cabinet, in...
Malayan Tigers - Living on a Prey-er?
August 25, 2021 07:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBThey're a symbol of national pride, of bravery, courage and regalness. The Malayan tiger is prominently featured in our national coat of arms, and Malaysia's football team is also affectionately referred to as ‘Harimau Malaya.’ But the Malayan tiger is also officially listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. According to WWF-Malaysia, there are less than 200 Malayan tigers left in the wild here in Malaysia. Why are their numbers still dwindling, despite...
The Great Apes of Wrath
August 23, 2021 07:00 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBWhen visiting Sabah for the first time back in 1994, Dr Marc Ancrenaz, together with Dr Isabelle Lackman, realised that many orangutans were hanging around in disturbed and over-logged forests. They decided to establish an intensive study site in the fragmented forests of Lower Kinabatangan to study orangutan adaptation to habitat disturbance, and thus, the NGO Hutan was born. Then in 1998, they established the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (KOCP) in the village of Sukau, a...
IPCC Report: Are We Headed for Hell on Earth?
August 18, 2021 07:00 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBIt's being called a Code Red for Humanity. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was prepared by 234 scientists from 66 countries, highlights how human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. This sobering assessment - endorsed by the world's governments - is the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. What does it predict and what needs to be done to prevent more catastrop...
World Elephant Day 2021 - Far from ‘Irrelephant’
August 09, 2021 07:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBThey're the largest land mammal on the Asian continent, a keystone species, invaluable ecosystem engineers, and cute to boot. Decades ago, the Asian Elephant could be found in almost every state in Peninsular Malaysia, but their numbers have dwindled so much that these days, you'll likely encounter them in only six states. The usual litany of issues - habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-elephant conflict - are causing their numbers to decline. The Management and Ecology of Malaysian E...
#GenerationRestoration - Examples from Malaysia
August 04, 2021 07:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBBack in January of this year, scientists devised what they called the "10 golden rules for reforestation", around ‘right tree, right place’ principle. These rules challenged the myth that ‘all tree planting is good’ and brought out discussions of best practices for protecting and restoring the world’s forests. Many of those rules were already being put into practice by conservationists here in Malaysia, and we speak to Afzaa Aziz (Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Center), Yeap C...
TCS Malaysia - Focussing on Community-centred Conservation
August 02, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBAs we've seen, pandemic or not, a conservationist's work carries on, as threats to the survival of wildlife continue. The same is the case for Dr Chen Pelf Nyok and her team at the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia, who have been working tirelessly to ensure the survival of river terrapins, a critically-endangered freshwater turtle species here in Malaysia. While working for the survival of terrapins, the team at TCS also work to ensure local communities - who are similarly involved i...
Grooving to the Mangrove Beat Part 2: Protecting and Preserving Mangrove Ecosystems
July 28, 2021 07:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBIt was International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem On Monday – celebrated annually on the 26th of July - and on Monday's episode of Earth Matters, we did a 101 on the characteristics of mangroves, and why they are so important to people and the planet. (Hint: They are carbon-hoarding, coastline-protecting forests which are sponges for greenhouse gases, among many other things.) On today's episode, we focus on the threats the mangrove ecosystem faces, and look at solutio...
Macaranga Wrap-up: July 2021
July 26, 2021 07:35 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBFor July's look-back, the Co-Founders, Co-Editors and Writers of Macaranga.org, Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, have plants on their minds. First up, it was recently reported that Australian miner Lynas Rare Earths Limited is considering a new site to build their permanent disposal facility for their radioactive waste, from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant. The company is reportedly planning a smaller disposal facility just next to their current facilities in the Gebeng Industrial Park. Will...
Grooving to the Mangrove Beat Part 1: Mangroves Matter!
July 26, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBMangroves are described as rare, spectacular and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea, which contribute to the wellbeing, food security, and protection of coastal communities worldwide. But reports estimate that 67% of mangroves have been lost or degraded to date, and an additional 1% is lost each year, putting mangroves at a risk of being destroyed altogether. In conjunction with this year's International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, we're doing a...
Time to Reimagine Plastic
July 21, 2021 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBSocial enterprise Hara Makers have been working towards reducing plastic pollution, and started the Reimagine Plastic Project as a way of working towards that. The initiative is also a community and income-generating project for the economically disadvantaged, by providing them with vocational skills in recycling and upcycling of plastic waste. They have successfully fused plastic bags and plastic packaging into fabric, and even melted harder plastics such as bread tags into flower pots, co...
A Pat on the Back for Traditional Ketupats
July 19, 2021 07:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBA staple Hari Raya dish, there is little research on the origins of the ketupat, though academics date its beginnings to 14th and 15th century Java. Traditionally made from different species of palm leaves, many now opt for "ketupat plastik" - which is cheaper and readily available, but also less sustainable, and yet another contributor to plastic waste. Dr Jarina Mohd Jani, a senior lecturer at the faculty of science and marine environment at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has embark...
The Continued Spread of Illegal Plastic Recycling Centres in Malaysia
July 14, 2021 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBPua Lay Peng received death threats, had her home splashed with red paint, her work and life disrupted, and was accused of having nothing better to do by the authorities - all in the name of protecting her home in Jenjarom from unlicensed plastic recyclers. These illegal operators were turning the area into a toxic cauldron of pollution, whose modus operandi was to set up ad-hoc factories in quiet areas, contaminate the groundwater as they process plastic waste, and illegally dump or burn w...
The Links Between Plastic Pollution and Corruption
July 12, 2021 07:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBFrom January to July 2018, Malaysia became the world's top destination for plastic waste exports. Even today, we are still reeling from pollution and effects caused by other countries’ waste - a sharp rise in illegal recycling facilities and illegal dumpsites, and land, water and air pollution. The C4 Center or the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism's research into the issue found that the problems plaguing the plastic recycling industry include allegations of smuggling, factories ope...
A Handbook To Go Zero Waste in Malaysia
July 07, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBFrom a Facebook group to a full-fledged movement and organisation, the folks behind Zero Waste Malaysia are keeping up the good fight to get more Malaysians on-board with the zero-waste way of life. Always exploring new ways to reach people, last year they launched a Lesson Plan and virtual classroom, and now, they are going to launch the MY Zero Waste Life - Summarized handbook, a free-to-access guide available in four languages. In their own words, it is a "treasure trove of information ...
World Firefly Day 2021 – Watch us, don't catch us!
July 05, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBWorld Firefly Day is observed annually during the first weekend in July, and is a global celebration of these fascinating and amazing creatures that inspire wonder in so many of us. Dr Sara Lewis, a Professor of Biology at Tufts University, has researched the luminous lives of fireflies for nearly three decades now, and she is also the co-chair of the IUCN Firefly Specialist Group, and works on global firefly conservation. She joins us for an illuminating chat about these most de-light-ful ...
Time Spent in Nature is Never Time Wasted
June 30, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBWe've all been living through a traumatic year, both in relation to this public-health crisis as well as the social-justice crossroads we face as a country. With lockdowns continuing until “underdetermined dates” in Malaysia, many are being overwhelmed by feelings of despair, loneliness, anger and fatigue, among others. Can turning to the natural world be the panacea to help us get through these times? We discuss this and more with Baida Hercus, the President of the environmental NGO, Free ...
Macaranga Wrap-up: June 2021
June 28, 2021 07:35 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBIn this month's round-up, we first look at all the news surrounding old and new environmental extractive projects - the Penang South Islands reclamation, the mining projects at Tasik Chini and Som forest, the sand-mining at Setiu Wetlands - what gives? Next up, we look at a massive deforestation project in Bukit Ibam, Pahang, which will displace Orang Asli families, and also the land dispute cases in Sarawak, where Penan and Kenyah groups are alleging that they haven't given free, prior, in...
Small-scale Solar Solutions through KampungKu
June 28, 2021 07:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBKampungKu is a series of renewable energy projects dedicated to resolving the energy-related needs of Orang Asli communities across Malaysia, by providing small-scale solar solutions. With help from the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY) and other partners, ten easy-to-use, mobile photovoltaic cells and solar lamps were installed in cooperation with the Orang Asli of Kampung Dedari — a village community located upriver from Kuala Tahan and across from Taman Negara — in le...
Safeguarding and Supporting Setiu Wetlands
June 23, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBSetiu Wetlands is one of the largest natural wetlands in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and is the only wetland in Malaysia with nine – though some say ten - interconnected ecosystems such as beaches, mudflats, lagoons, estuaries, rivers, islands, coastal forests and mangrove forests. But recently, a local environmental NGO, Ecoswed Initiative, raised the alarm about licensed sand mining activities causing damage and destruction to the beach area, and also to the Setiu Wetlands Stat...
The Perils of the Penang South Islands Project
June 21, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBThe Penang South Reclamation (PSR) megaproject is a massive reclamation project to create three islands off the southern coast of Penang island. The size of the proposed reclamation in question involves 4,500 acres of environmentally sensitive areas - that's about the size of Johor’s Forest City. Many Penangites and local civil society organisations have called for the project to be cancelled, raising concerns over how the reclamation will destroy the richest fishery in Penang, negatively a...