Earth Matters

Ecotourism offers significant benefits to both people and the planet by promoting responsible travel that conserves the environment, sustains local communities, and fosters cultural appreciation. The Sustainable Tourism Network Malaysia is a platform aimed at fostering responsible travel and supporting operators in adopting more sustainable approaches. We find out more about their work and plans from Justine Vaz, the Executive Director of The Habitat Foundation and Mariam Ghani, a Senior Programme Manager with The Habitat Foundation, and the Lead for the Sustainable Tourism Network Malaysia. We also discuss some hidden ecotourism gems in Malaysia, including the Perlis Geopark, which offers travellers beautiful forests, limestone hills, caves and more.

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In conjunction with the Journey to End Plastic Pollution event, we speak to Weng Dun Xin, a Zero Waste Campaigner, at Greenpeace SEA (Malaysia), to explore the pressing issue of plastic pollution and its far-reaching impacts on our health, wildlife, and climate. The three-day event, organised by the Malaysia Stop Waste Trade Coalition, will feature art installations, interactive activities, and expert-led discussions to shine a light on the dark side of plastic and present real solutions.

Image credit: Greenpeace Malaysia

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Sharks and rays are vital to marine ecosystems, but their populations are dwindling rapidly. Conservation efforts face challenges due to the lack of detailed data on their critical habitats, but in a bid to map these areas, a groundbreaking atlas has been created, drawing from the collaborative efforts of divers, fishers, and scientists. We explore more about Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) - regions identified as critical for the conservation of shark and ray species based on scientific criteria. Helping us do that are scientists Serena Adam (Marine Conservation Officer, WWF-Malaysia, member of the IUCN) and Assoc. Prof. Dr Amy Then (Senior Lecturer, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya), and also environmental journalist and co-founder of Macaranga, Wong Siew Lyn, who just released an article on this, titled: Divers, Fishers and Scientists Map Sharks and Rays to Save Them. The article also has an accompanying interactive map of Malaysia’s new 10 Important Shark and Ray Areas.

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Malaysia's Budget 2025 will be tabled in parliament on the 18th of October. How will the Madani government prioritise environmental sustainability and sustainable financing of the economy? We speak to two Malaysians working in the environment and conservation field - Thing Siew Shuen, the Senior Program Manager of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, and Celine Lim, the Managing Director of Save Rivers - about their wishlist for Budget 2025.

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Image credit: Shutterstock

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We catch up with Adam Farhan, the Director of environmental watchdog RimbaWatch, for updates on some of the research and analysis they have been focussing on over the last few months. First, we look back at the State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2024 report which was released back in May, which found that up to 3.2 million hectares of Malaysian rainforests are at risk – an area nearly the size of Pahang. Then, we turn our attention to two recent reports released by RimbaWatch, first on the proposed oil and gas project in the Tun Mustapha Marine Park (TMP) which is sparking serious environmental and human rights concerns, and finally we look at the Balingian coal mine over in Sarawak, and the climate, biodiversity and transparency-related issues that have been raised in connection with the project.

Image credits: Shutterstock, WWF Malaysia/Eric Madeja

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The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672) is one of Malaysia's key legislative frameworks, and was designed to address the shortcomings of waste management laws across Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territories, ensuring better coordination, enforcement and sustainability. What are some of the pressing issues Malaysia is facing when it comes to dealing with its waste, and how does this Act close the gaps or address inefficiencies in waste management here?  We explore the history of Act 672, the reasons behind its introduction, and its applications here in the country with Khor Sue Yee (Co-founder and Director, Zero Waste Malaysia) and Tasha Sabapathy (Senior Programme and Communications Officer, Zero Waste Malaysia).

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Through innovative approaches and collaborations, BORA or Bringing Back Our Rare Animals, is working to reverse the decline of rare species, and safeguard Malaysia's unique biodiversity for future generations. Datuk Dr. John Payne, the Chief Executive Officer of BORA, shares insights into the organisation’s mission to prevent extinction and restore endangered species in Malaysia. He discusses BORA’s key initiatives, including habitat restoration, wildlife management, and the protection of critically endangered species such as the orangutans, elephants and more.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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It's time for another roundup of top environmental news from the month past, with Macaranga's co-founders Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua. On this month's list, we have updates on EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and how environmental and rights groups have called on the EU to classify Sarawak as "high risk" under these new anti-deforestation regulations, and we also have updates on the first rhino horn smuggling incident to be heard in a Malaysian court, related to one of the largest rhino horn seizures in Malaysia. Finally, we look at the ruling earlier this month that hydropower companies constructing a dam on Indigenous Semai land in Perak state had not obtained proper consent and must cease operations immediately.

Photo credits:

- Rhino horns arranged before burn Talukdar David / Shutterstock.com

- Deforestation in Borneo by Rich Carey / Shutterstock.com

- Gopeng Ulu Geruntum Water Fall / commons.wikimedia.org

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As part of its Environmental Vision 2050, the Daikin Group has the ambition to become carbon-neutral across all its activities by 2050. They have also launched an initiative to collect refrigerants from installers in a recovery and recycling initiative. What does this all actually entail? We learn more about the 3 R's of Refrigerants - Recovering, Recycling and Reclaiming - from Linda Wong, the Deputy General Manager of Conformity & Compliance from Daikin Malaysia. Linda also shares more about Daikin Malaysia's pilot project campaign called Save the Earth: Exchange for the Future Generation.

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Many have argued that this is an exhilarating time for the Asian region, particularly Southeast Asia. But while there is excitement and opportunities, there are also plenty of real challenges. One such challenge that ASEAN will have to continue navigating is the crisis in Myanmar. 

As we know, Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021 following a military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government, leading to a civil war between the Junta and various pro-democracy and liberation forces. Some have even called it a revolution. 

So, what should ASEAN’s role be in this crisis?

In this episode, we speak to Thomas Daniel, who’s a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. He recently wrote an article arguing that with Malaysia as chair, ASEAN should approach the situation in Myanmar much differently than the past few years. 

Photo credit: StreetOnCamara_Comeback / Shutterstock.com

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