Earth Matters

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and we're set to enter the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese zodiac. Here in Malaysia though, the outlook for our critically endangered Malayan Tiger seems to continuously dim, and the recent deaths of both an Orang Asli man from a tiger attack, and the subsequent killing of the tiger, has been upsetting to say the least. What could have been done better, to both protect the Orang Asli villagers who share the forest with wildlife, and for the tigers? Malaysia is proudly committed to protecting the species, but are decision-makers committed to protecting their forest habitats, which are critical to their survival, and which reduces conflicts with people? Andrew Sebastian, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), joins us to weigh in on the discussion. Andrew also shares some of the work ECOMY has planned in 2022, which includes programmes to aid Orang Asli villages, while promoting ecotourism and sustainable forest practices.

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The smallest of the eight-bear species found in the world, sun bears are most easily recognised by their  unique yellow, sun-like marking on their chest, which can take on a variety of shapes. Also known as the 'honey bear’, these lovely creatures have characteristically long tongues to reach honey from beehives and extract insects from small spaces. But, their numbers are declining mainly due to forest loss and poaching, and sun bears are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Today, on a new mini-segment called The ABC's of Biodiversity, a series explaining why biodiversity loss is OUR loss, we want to focus on these tiny bears with big personalities and a big impact on our environment. Joining us to do that is Dr Wong Siew Te, a Wildlife biologist and the CEO and Founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC).

Image credit: Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

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The three guiding principles of Permaculture can be summarised as such: People Care, Fair Share and Earth Care. Described as a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature, permaculture has changed the lives of those who have embraced it, and the movement of permaculture is becoming stronger by the day. In the second of our two-part series on permaculture, we explore how to actually start practicing permaculture, from local practitioners, who will share the do's and don'ts of starting your own permaculture garden. Joining us on the show today are Ili Farhana Norhayat (Permaculturist and Founder of Symbiosis Alchemy) and Federica Agnese (Permaculturist and Co-founder, Kebun Kemensah).

Do also have a listen to our first episode, Why Start A Permaculture Garden.

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Bill Mollison, who was credited for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture, described it as such: "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system." As we kickstart 2022, we explore how and why permaculture is the way to go, what it can offer us in terms of our survival and food security, and why connecting back to nature should be on the top of our 2022 resolutions. Helping us to explore this and more are Ashaari Rahmat, a farmer at Kebun Rahmat, and Mohamed Irfan, a founding member & Director at Urban Hijau.

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If one thing is clear from the recent flood disaster, it's that Malaysia isn't prepared for changing weather patterns, and extreme weather events. Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia (GDIMY), a loose coalition of civil society organisations and individuals which was formed in 2021 to address Malaysia’s response to the global climate emergency through urgent and concerted action, have come up with a list of demands for both the federal and state governments to prioritise, to address  future extreme climate events in our country. We catch up with Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar, the Chairperson of Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) which is part of GDIMY, to discuss what needs to be done.

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We look back at some of the issues and stories covered on Earth Matters in 2021, this time focussing on conservation heroes, namely Pua Lay Peng and the Menraq Patrol Unit.

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We look back at some of the issues and stories covered on Earth Matters in 2021 concerning the plastic pollution crisis, focussing on three stories in particular: firstly, the links between plastic pollution and corruption, secondly, how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the plastic crisis, and finally, how we can reduce our use of plastic, and attempt to live a zero-waste lifestyle.

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We look back at some of the stories and issues covered on Earth Matters in 2021, concerning the protection of our wildlife. In this look-back episode, we focus specifically on conservation efforts for Bornean elephants, bats and our Malayan tigers.

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We look back at some of the issues and stories covered on Earth Matters in 2021 concerning the protection of forests, focussing on three stories in particular: firstly, the links between deforestation and flooding, secondly, the ongoing Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve saga, and finally, the proposed development of the Shah Alam Community Forest.

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In early December 2021, a broad alliance of civil society organisations filed a pioneering complaint at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), in response to the chronic and persistent haze pollution. Led by CERAH – Anti Haze Action and Greenpeace Malaysia, the coalition are advocating for a public inquiry into the gaps in the governance of domestic and transboundary haze pollution, and want systemic solutions to overcome haze pollution, among others. We find out more from Dr Helena Varkkey and Kiu Jia Yaw, respectively the vice-president and secretary of CERAH  Anti-Haze Action. Dr Helena is also a senior lecturer at the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the University of Malaya, and Jia Yaw is both the Co-deputy Chair of the Bar Council Environment & Climate Change Committee (BCECCC), and a secretariat member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on the Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM on SDG's).

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