Earth Matters

Oil palm plantations and smallholdings are expanding massively and ongoing research by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), points to the critical roles that women play as workers, smallholders and investors in the oil palm sector. However, gender issues are generally not considered in policies, certification bodies and regulations in the sector. We speak to Dr. Bimbika Sijapati-Basnett, a Scientist and Gender Coordinator at CIFOR, to discuss what needs to be done to improve gender equality throughout the oil palm value chain and certification process.

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In June 2016, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) issued a notice of a proposed development on a portion of land situated within Taman Rimba Kiara. Taman Rimba Kiara is one of the few remaining planned public parks of its size in KL, and serves as a treasured green lung and open space for thousands of Klang Valley residents. The Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association are now taking legal action against DBKL, to protect Taman Rimba Kiara against any proposed development. We find out more about their case from Hafiz Abu Bakar, the Chairman of the TTDI Residents Association and Leon Koay, a member of the Save Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group.

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Apart from being extremely important for its vital role in provisioning water and other ecosystem services, the Greater Ulu Muda Forest harbours important wildlife and biodiversity and is a model for ecotourism done right. However, despite the recognition given to the need to conserve this rich area from as far back as 2003, today, a large proportion of the forest is not protected and still being logged. We speak to three different experts about the vital importance of this area to all Malaysians, and the need for improved conservation and management of Greater Ulu Muda.

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Click here if you’d like to sign the petition to protect the Greater Ulu Muda forest.

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It's estimated that each Malaysian consumes about 56.5 kg seafood per year - and that number rises annually. Driven by our insatiable demand for seafood, Malaysia’s fishery resources have been over-exploited and almost 90% of Malaysia’s bottom-dwelling fish stock in some fishing areas has declined due to unsustainable fishing practices, pushing fishery resources to the verge of collapse and damaging the environment in the process. We speak to Victor Charlie Andin from WWF-Malaysia, to discuss the role we all should play to conserve our marine resources for future generations.

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Many of us think of figs as just something to eat, but according to Rainforest Ecologist Mike Shanahan, fig trees have influenced humanity and the world around us in profound ways. He joins us to shed more light on figs and their many uses, and to discuss his book Gods, Wasps and Stranglers, which details the secret history and redemptive future of fig trees.

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Dr. David Gaveau combines satellites, drones and field investigations to study the impacts of humans on Earth’s land surface. He maps tropical deforestation, forest degradation and regeneration, agricultural developments, and landscape fires, and he also investigates the effectiveness of forest conservation interventions in Southeast Asia in reducing deforestation and fires.

A scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), he joins us to discuss the Borneo Atlas, which among other things, allows everyone to view for themselves, forty-two years of forest degradation (from 1973-2015) by the logging industry, and conversion to industrial oil palm and pulpwood plantations. The Atlas also helps distinguish plantation companies who practiced deforestation from those who avoided it.

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This week on Earth Matters, we take a look at some news that's been brewing in Sabah - the proposal for the construction of a federal government road and bridge project into Sabah’s ecotourism hub of Sukau in Kinabatangan. The project has met fierce resistance from environmentalists, including world-renowned conservationist Sir David Attenborough, who believe that the project will cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem there.

In the second part of the show, we hear from Prof. William Laurance, Australian Laureate and Distinguished Research Professor at James Cook University, who back in 2014, published a guide on building better roads for the future. We revisit this interview in light of the proposed road and bridge project in Sukau.

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Recognising that there's more to saving the planet than just not using plastic bags, this edition of Art For Grabs will tackle Environmentalism, and seeks to bring activists and the public together to tackle the problems plaguing our planet in creative and practical ways. We find out more from Arts for Grabs founder Pang Khee Teik, and also Carolyn Joan Lau, the Co-founder of environmental group Sampah, Menyampah! and the #TaknakStraw Campaign. 

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The ‘Anthropocene’ or the ‘age of humans’ is one which is defined by massive human impacts on the natural environment, to a point where that impact is actually visible in the geological record. The opinions that cluster around the term " Anthropocene" vary greatly and have resulted in arguments both in favour and against the adoption of this concept.

We find out more about the great Anthropocene debate from Dr Martin Mahony, a Research Fellow at the School of Geography of the University of Nottingham from the UK, whose own research concerns the intersections of environment, science and society. 

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World Wildlife Day is celebrated globally on the 3rd of March, and this year's theme is "listen to the young voices." We speak to Jimmiel Mandima from the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), who joins us to discuss his organisation's efforts to  build schools in Africa that promote wildlife and environmental education, and also how and why the future of Africa's wildlife must be driven by Africans themselves.

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