Earth Matters

They've been around since the time of dinosaurs, and are more closely related to lilies and gingers than to true grasses. Seagrasses are the only flowering plants that can live underwater, and are the main diet of dugongs and green turtles, and provide a habitat for many, smaller marine animals. But we are losing seagrass rapidly, and the misconception that seagrasses are inconsequential is further leading to their decline. On this month's episode of The ABC's of Biodiversity, we give props to this grossly undervalued part of our ecosystem, with Dr Jillian Ooi, a Marine Ecologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya. Dr Jillian was recently awarded a three-year fellowship to study the growth of seagrass meadows and how to better restore this vital part of marine ecosystems, by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

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World Water Day, celebrated annually on the 22nd of March, is all about focusing attention on the importance of water. While many don't give a second thought about having access to a safe and clean supply of water, other Malaysians aren't as lucky. We speak to Celine Lim, the Manager of SAVE Rivers, about how so many indigenous communities in East Malaysia still do not have access to clean, potable water, and the factors contributing to these communities being deprived of basic human rights. Celine also discusses whether the burden falls on both the federal and state governments to ensure that the right to water is respected, and how megaprojects in Sarawak have impacted the lives and livelihoods of indigenous communities there, including their access to water.

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Local environmental journalism portal Macaranga recently released a series of four articles investigating forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia. Keenly supported by state governments and touted as a reliable and renewable supply for timber, Macaranga’s year-long investigation reveals that forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia have instead incurred high costs, not delivered on promises, and has emerged as one of the top drivers of forest cover loss. This International Day of Forests, we delve into the findings of this investigation with Macaranga's Dr. Law Yao Hua, who is also an environmental journalist, and a Fellow with the Rainforest Investigations Network, with the Pulitzer Center.

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Rivers are the planet’s arteries of life, and are intrinsically linked to human survival and well-being. It was International Day of Action for Rivers on the 14th of March - a day dedicated to solidarity, when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. In conjunction with this global celebration, we speak to Dr K. Kalithasan, the Manager of the RIVER Care Programme at the Global Environment Centre (GEC), for a reminder on why we must protect the health of our rivers, and why it's crucial to our survival.

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The Long Food Movement report presents a powerful narrative for the need for long-term planning on the part of civil society to build more just, diverse and resilient food systems. The report lays bare the likely consequences of “agribusiness as usual” over the next 25 years, and shows how careful forward planning by civil society can effectively counter the corporate takeover of food systems. So how exactly does the Long Food Movement envision the decentralisation of control, and the democratising of food systems, as the key to feeding the world? How will it regenerate ecological and other systems, vital to people and the planet? We speak to Lim Li Ching, a Senior Researcher with the Third World Network and a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) to discuss this and more.

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Biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide, and it's widely projected that this decline will worsen with business-as-usual scenarios. The Convention on Biological Diversity will convene governments from around the world to agree on a new set of goals for nature over the next decade, through the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework process. Through this, there are also calls for a “Thirty by Thirty” target – to protect at least 30% of Earth's land and sea by 2030. Why is this goal significant? Is it perhaps too ambitious, and what are the sticking points to these negotiation processes? We explore this and more in a new monthly series done in collaboration with Reef Check Malaysia called Biodiversity For Malaysia, with Julian Hyde, the General Manager of Reef Check Malaysia.

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The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was released on the 28th of February, and assessed the impacts of climate change, looking at ecosystems, biodiversity, and human communities at global and regional levels. The report has been described as a dire warning about the consequences of inaction, and also as “an atlas of human suffering, and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership." We dissect key messages and findings from the report, and also discuss some of the contentious issues that resulted from negotiations for the final Summary for Policymakers, with Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Head of Programmes at the Third World Network (TWN).

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In our new series, There's No Planet B, we want to share everything you need to know about the climate crisis. In our first episode, we explored why we're in a climate crisis. Now in our second show, we want to explore what the effects of the climate crisis will be on both people and the planet. Joining us to lay it all out is Dr Matthew Ashfold, an Atmospheric Scientist, and an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Dr Matthew is also part of the team behind Bite-Size Climate Action, and in this episode, he will also give us a brief overview of the latest IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, which has been described as "an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership.”

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The illegal smuggling of rhino horns in South Africa involving a Malaysian, African swine fever in Sabah, two species of white-handed gibbons instead of one? These are some of the major environmental news from February 2022 that we discuss in this month's roundup with the folks from environmental journalism portal Macaranga, Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua. We also look forward to the Johor state elections, and hope that the environment is on the candidate's agenda, in the upcoming Johor state elections.

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As forests and natural spaces shrink, and human activities increasingly expand and encroach on wildlife habitats, human-wildlife conflicts and interactions are practically inevitable. It's a complex issue, but the key is to look for balanced solutions to co-exist, and The Animal Neighbours Project is a community based project that uses research and education to mitigate human wildlife conflict in urban areas in particular. We find out more from veterinarian Dr Sharmini Julita Paramasivam, who is also a senior academic at the University of Surrey and the Founder & Project Lead of The Animal Neighbours Project.

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