Earth Matters

Many may think of FRIM or the Forest Research Institute Malaysia as a lovely and popular recreational park set amid a lush rainforest setting, right here in the Klang Valley. But FRIM is also one of the leading institutions in tropical forestry research in the world, and award-winning research at that. Latest research by the institute has found that 567 Malaysian plant species are now listed as threatened, out of the 1,600 Peninsular Malaysia plant species assessed in the Malaysia Red List. We find out more about FRIM and these latest findings from Dr Lillian Chua, the Director of the Forest Biodiversity Division at Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).

Image source: FRIM's Facebook

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With land in Sarawak under intense pressure from the logging, palm oil and mega-hydro companies, communities in the Baram River Basin are getting together and organising themselves, to create an indigenous managed protected zone, and fend off unwanted and poorly planned development projects. Ahead of this year's Earth Day - which calls on us all to Restore Our Earth - we find out more about how the indigenous communities in Baram are working with partners and collaborators to protect their land, from Celine Lim, the Manager of SAVE Rivers, and a herself a Kayan from Long Pilah, in the Baram area.

Image source: The Borneo Project Facebook Page

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Was Malaysia snubbed when it wasn't invited to the US-organised Leaders Summit on Climate, which will be hosted by US President Joe Biden? The event will feature world leaders from 40 countries, and a statement from the White House said that invitees included the “heads of other countries that are demonstrating strong climate leadership, are especially vulnerable to climate impacts, or are charting innovative pathways to a net-zero economy”. Does Malaysia not fit the bill? We speak to Meenakshi Raman, the president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, and the Head of Programmes at the Third World Network, about whether this lack of inclusion warrants attention, while also discussing Sahabat Alam’s ongoing work on climate change, how these organisations are battling climate inaction, and the deception of carbon markets and “net zero” pledges.

Image source: Shutterstock

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Unlike many other mammals, bats are often greatly feared by people. There is even a condition for it - Chiroptophobia - or the fear of bats, which may largely stem from their association with darkness, vampires, horror films, or even their association as disease vectors and pests. This fear or dislike of bats is believed to be an important barrier to bat conservation globally. But a new study aims to shine the spotlight on more positive beliefs and cultural perceptions regarding bats from across the Asia-Pacific region, which can hopefully counter these negative narratives surrounding bats, and possibly also help design culturally-grounded conservation strategies for these tiny ecosystem warriors. We find out more about the study from two of the authors of the paper, Mary-Ruth Low, a Senior Conservation Scientist under Project Pteropus, RIMBA, and Dr Cyren Wong, an ethnozoologist and ecological anthropologist and lecturer at Monash University.

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Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the co-founders of Macaranga.org return for their monthly wrap-up of environmental news, first to discuss several protests organised this month alone by various Orang Asli communities, against development projects on their ancestral lands. We then turn to the news about an anti-poaching raid that was conducted in Tawau, Sabah which led to the arrest of 14 men, including four policemen and allegedly one ex-MP. Finally we discuss climate change group Klima Action Malaysia, which held a peaceful strike at Tugu Negara to demand decisive action to address the climate crisis and to safeguard democracy.

Image Source: Shutterstock, Klima Action Malaysia Twitter

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In 2018, China's National Sword Policy came into effect, which banned 24 types of solid waste imports into the country. This included plastic waste, which then caused a global disruption of the market for recyclable material. It also led to the redirection of plastic waste to Southeast Asia, and from January to July 2018, Malaysia became the world's top destination for plastic waste exports. This influx led to a sharp rise in illegal recycling facilities and illegal dumpsites, causing land, water and air pollution. The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) kicked off research on this issue, and recently launched their findings, which we discuss with Wong Pui Yi, a researcher with the C4 Center, and Heng Kiah Chun, a campaigner with Greenpeace Malaysia. They will also share why the time is ripe to demand accountability and transparency from our governments and businesses.

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The theme for World Water Day 2021 is 'Valuing Water'. Safe to say that for many of us in the Klang Valley, we valued our water most, when we lost access to our steady supply on several occasions last year, as a result of water pollution. If water is considered a human right under international laws, what powers do we as lay people have, to ensure clean and safe access to water at all times? We discuss this and more with Kiu Jia Yaw, the co-deputy chair of the Bar Council Environment & Climate Change Committee and Arhwin Kalai Chelvan, a committee member of the Bar Council Environment & Climate Change Committee.

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It's been said that tree planting ‘has mind-blowing potential’ to tackle the climate crisis. Billions more trees, scientists claimed, could remove two-thirds of all the carbon dioxide created by human activity. But does it matter which trees are being planted? In a report released at the end of January, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have said that planting the wrong tree in the wrong place can do more harm than good, and have devised ten golden rules for reforestation around ‘right tree, right place’ principles, to maximise benefits for people and the planet. Joining us to share more about that is Dr. Paul Smith, the Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).

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Described as an unassuming patch of greenery, Bukit Persekutuan or Federal Hill, is one of the last sizable forest areas in the Kuala Lumpur city centre. This secondary forest is home to an impressive range of flora and fauna, and is also an area that is culturally and historically significant, complete with iconic buildings that are part of our nation's history. Unfortunately, Bukit Persekutuan's location, being adjacent to Kuala Lumpur City Centre, also makes it prime land for development, which is why many, including the Malaysian Nature Society, are calling for the area to be officially gazetted and made a world-class conservation showcase, recreational zone, and heritage site. We discuss this and more with Tan Sri Dr. Salleh bin Mohd. Nor, an advisor with the Malaysian Nature Society and the former DG of FRIM, Arch. John Koh, an architect and the immediate past Chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society's Board of Trustees, and Foo Wai Leng, a member of the Malaysian Nature Society, and part of the special interest group on Flora.

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In 2020, local environmental journalism portal Macaranga.org published four in-depth articles based on their investigation into forest-use changes in Peninsular Malaysia. Called Forest Files, the series explored issues such as forest-use policies, key drivers of forest loss and also how citizens could influence forest use. In our third and final interview covering the Forest Files' findings, we look at what more can be done to improve forest use, in line with the needs of all the different stakeholders involved. Joining us to discuss current and potential ways to improve forest use in Malaysia are Balu Perumal, the Head of Conservation at the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Surin Suksuwan, the Southeast Asia Regional Director at ProForest, and Law Yao Hua, the Co-Founder, Co-Editor and Writer at Macaranga.org.

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