Earth Matters

Macaranga Wrap-up: 2023

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are at the end of 2023 – as always, it's been quite a year for our environment and natural resources, so we take a look back at the year past wit...

Grain's Anatomy - Heirloom Rice For Malaysia's Food Security

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The rise in price for imported rice in Malaysia saw consumers chasing cheaper locally grown products - but Malaysia isn't producing enough rice to sup...

Plastics Treaty Negotiations - On A Road To Nowhere?

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In March 2022, a global commitment was made to negotiate a comprehensive plastics treaty, addressing the entire life cycle of plastic. Now at the end ...

Evolution, Exploration, and Exotic Expeditions with Wallace

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Born in 1823, Alfred Russel Wallace was a pioneering naturalist and biologist whose significant contributions to the field of natural history parallel...

We Mustn't Be "Meh" About Methane

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Methane is the second-largest contributor to global warming after Carbon Dioxide and reducing methane emissions is crucial due to its significant impa...

Macaranga Wrap-Up: November 2023

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As November draws to a close, we look-back at some of the top environmental news from the month past with Law Yao Hua, the co-founder of environmental...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep9: Langkawi

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

The Green Agenda Under Malaysia Madani

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's been almost a year since the new coalition government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took power. While the PM has focused on fight...

Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 was one of the platforms for policymakers, practitioners, businesses and civil society to exchange on climate solut...

Journey to Establish Climate Loss and Damage Fund Continues

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At last year’s COP27 summit in Egypt developing nations celebrated a victory when they secured an agreement on the Loss and Damage Fund – somethin...

Fascinating Fossils: Unearthing Tales from the Animal Kingdom

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know tigers were once found in Borneo? And that orangutans once roamed Selangor? What happened to them, in these areas? These are some of the ...

Carbon Capture: A Smoke and Mirrors Solution?

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Malaysian government launched the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) this year, outlining Malaysia’s plans towards achieving a sustainabl...

Tackling Plastic Pollution: The Global Treaty Breakdown

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The first draft of the groundbreaking Global Plastics Treaty - a new law to address plastic pollution - will be negotiated from November 11-19, 2023. ...

Macaranga Wrap-up: October 2023

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The good people from environmental journalism portal Macaranga return, for another roundup of top environmental news from the month past. Lots of big ...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep8: Kundasang

29 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

Malaysia's Biodiversity Pledge: Nurturing Biodiversity Beyond 2030

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia recently conducted a mid-term review of its National Policy on Biological Diversity (NPBD) 2016 - 2025, in response to the adoption of the Gl...

Stories From the Sea

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Protecting coasts and oceans has multiple benefits for the environment, economy, society and culture, and in line with that, Malaysia is working hard ...

Budget2024 - Entitlements for the Environment

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Themed “Economic Reforms, Empowering the People,” Budget 2024 was announced on the 13th of October 2023, by Malaysia's Prime Minister & Financ...

Knowledge: New Old Twists

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

KNOTs - or Knowledge: New Old Twists - is a social enterprise dedicated to promoting engaging and meaningful learning experiences for children, regard...

Stories from Upper Baram Pt 2: Saving Rivers, Restoring Rights

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two years after filing a defamation lawsuit against Indigenous grassroots organisation SAVE Rivers — logging company Samling withdrew the case, with...

Stories from Upper Baram Pt 1: The SLAPP Stops Here

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two years after filing a defamation lawsuit against Indigenous grassroots organisation SAVE Rivers, the logging company Samling withdrew the case with...

From Rehab to Rainforest - Gibbon Family On Their Way to Ape-solute Freedom

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us rejoiced at the birth of baby Axel, the first-ever gibbon born at a rehabilitation centre in Malaysia to rescued parents Ebony and Coley. F...

Science Matters: Best Practices for Preserving Nature

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WCS-Malaysia’s main activities revolve around helping the Malaysian government in conducting biological monitoring and supporting protection efforts...

Macaranga Wrap-Up: September 2023

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The co-founders of environmental journalism portal Macaranga, Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn, join us for a round-up of top environmental news from Sep...

Wildlife Photography - "Click"bait for Conservation

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Raised in Canada, residing in Malaysia, Anuar McAfee's background is in the field of education, but he is also an avid photographer, birder, conservat...

Eye on the Tiger

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Numbers vary, but most estimates state that there are about 4,000 tigers left in the wild - a far cry from their previous 100,000 population. The Eye ...

The Potential and Pitfalls of Rare Earth Mining

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rare earth mining is big business for countries with reserves, such as Malaysia, which has an estimated 16.1 billion tonnes of subterranean rare earth...

Be a Green Wira!

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Green Wira Programme by Zero Waste Malaysia is aimed at empowering local school teachers with zero waste knowledge and skill sets to build zero wa...

Shoreline Makeover: International Coastal Clean-up 2023

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Coastal Cleanup Day is a global event that has been running for more than 35 years. Volunteers all around the world engage and encourage...

Ape-solutely Fabulous - Fostering Human-Primate Coexistence

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The IPS-MPS '23 - The Joint Meeting of the International Primatological Society (IPS) and the Malaysian Primatological Society (MPS), was recently hel...

Green Waves: 15 Years of Earth Matters

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BFM turns 15 on the 4th of September 2023, and to commemorate, we're revisiting some of our best interviews from the years past, and playing you 15-mi...

Youths Uniting For the Earth!

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Youths United For Earth (YUFE) want to celebrate Malaysia's environmentalism, one youth at a time. The youth-led NGO aims to mobilise Malaysian youths...

Macaranga Wrap-up: August 2023

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As we close yet another month in 2023, we also look back at some of the top environmental news from August, with the help of the co-founders of enviro...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep7: Kinabatangan River

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our monthly tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is a global initiative focused on “making nature’s values visible”. Back in early July 2023,...

The Trashpedia Outreach Programme

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The folks at Zero Waste Malaysia continue to work towards building a waste-free future for Malaysia, with a mission to drive social and systemic chang...

Protecting the Singing, Swinging Ape

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Though they registered officially in 2020, the Gibbon Conservation Society or GCS has been running since 2013, marking 10 years of hard work to rescue...

El Niño is Back - How Will Malaysia Face It?

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier in May 2023, the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned us that we were leaving an "exceptionally long La Niña weather phenomeno...

#UndIklim-Selangor 2023

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

State elections are just around the corner, and #UndIklim-Selangor 2023 is a campaign to present to voters the direct stand of each candidate on matte...

RimbaWatch on State Elections, Deforestation & Greenwashing

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With state elections just around the corner, we catch up with Adam Farhan, the co-founder and director of environmental watchdog RimbaWatch, to suss o...

Wildlife Through The Mail & Postal Service?

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

TRAFFIC - the wildlife trade monitoring network - have been working with Pos Malaysia for the past four years to help the postal service better detect...

Macaranga Wrap-Up: July 2023

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For our monthly roundup of environmental news from the month of July, we tackle Ecological Fiscal Transfers, ship-source pollution and its impacts on ...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep6: Bukit Wang, Kedah

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our monthly tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

International Tiger Day 2023: Turning Conflict To Coexistence

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's International Tiger Day on the 29th of July, celebrated annually to raise awareness for tiger conservation. In Malaysia, we are still fighting to...

Fraser's Hill To Become A State Park?

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rising more than 1000m above sea level on the Titiwangsa Range, and straddling the Pahang-Selangor border, Fraser’s Hill is a highland rainforest ar...

The Life and Times of Jenah

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Life and Times of Jenah is a series of three interconnected animated marine educational videos, which aims to spread awareness on the threats faci...

Creative and ‘Porpoise-ful’ Conservation with MareCet

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

‘Mummy, Where's My Dorsal Fin?’ follows the adventures of a little Indo-Pacific finless porpoise calf named Aluna and her mother Cheriya, as they ...

Balancing Science, Conservation and Society

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) recently held its 59th Meeting, with the aim to explore and illustrate the options and op...

A Damming Blow to the OA of Gua Musang

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The RM5 billion Nenggiri Hydroelectric Project located in Kelantan is expected to supplement renewable energy for Malaysia, and also potentially gener...

Myles Storey - Going the Extra Mile for Nature Stories

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Myles Storey is a wildlife filmmaker, who has worked on productions with the BBC, World Animal Protection, and Roots & Shoots Malaysia, among othe...

Is A New International Airport in Tioman The Way To Go?

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for a new international airport on Pulau Tioman has been made public and is now open for review and co...

Macaranga Wrap-up: June 2023

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As June draws to an end, we speak to Law Yao Hua, co-founder of environmental journalism portal Macaranga, to discuss the top environmental news of th...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep5: Merapoh

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our monthly tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

You Too Can Save Our Malayan Tigers!

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1950's, it was estimated that Malaysia had as many as 3000 tigers in the wild. In 2022, that number had dwindled to an estimated 150.  Is ...

Waste Colonialism & The Trade of Recycled Plastic

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018, China’s National Sword Policy came into effect, banning 24 (later 32) types of solid waste imports to the country, including plastic and pa...

Tackling the Plague of Plastic Pollution

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plastics only started to be made in large quantities after World War 2, but since then, the pollution from all the plastic we manufacture and use has ...

World Environment Day 2023: Global Solutions to Beat Plastic Pollution

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Humanity is facing a plastic pollution crisis. It's said that plastic production has risen exponentially in the last decades, and now amounts to some ...

Coral Reef Restoration - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's World Reef Awareness Day on the 1st of June, celebrated annually to reflect on our ocean's delicate coral reefs, and to bring together communitie...

Macaranga Wrap-up: May 2023

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

May is coming to a close, which makes it time for another roundup of top environmental news with the co-founders of journalism portal, Macaranga. This...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta #4: The Sultan Iskandar Marine Park & More

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our monthly tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Ma...

It Takes a Village - The Story of Saving Taman Rimba Kiara

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The battle to save Taman Rimba Kiara is finally over, with the Federal Court's ruling in favour of protecting the space, by quashing a development ord...

International Day for Biological Diversity 2023 Special

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's International Day for Biological Diversity today, celebrated annually on the 22nd of May to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity ...

FSC Investigations, SLAPP Suits and Deforestation in Sarawak

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this May, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) officially accepted a complaint against Malaysian timber company Samling, which was filed by ci...

Take A Walk on the Wild Side at Bukit Kiara

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bukit Kiara is a much loved green lung in our rather green lung deprived city centre. A former rubber estate, the area is now a popular spot for thous...

The Penang South Islands Project - Fantasy Island of Epic Proportions?

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Penang South Islands (PSI) project was initially a massive reclamation project to create three islands off the southern coast of Penang island. Th...

RimbaWatch - Citizen Science and Data on Deforestation

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Environmental watchdog RimbaWatch have been hard at work, keeping an eye on forests by using open source data and analytics, and shining a spotlight o...

Listen to the Science! The IPCC Report on Urgent Climate Action

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has now published the synthesis report of its sixth assessment report (AR6). This forms the final...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep3: Bukit Batu Putih in Port Dickson

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is a tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Do...

Macaranga Wrap-up: April 2023

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up with local, lovable environmental journalism portal Macaranga, for a roundup of top environmental news from April 2023. This month, we dis...

Haze: Coming Soon

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The recent unwelcome visit by the haze in the region was another unpleasant reminder that the issue of transboundary haze is far from resolved. Natura...

‘Policy Plans’ - the path to folly in Malaysia’s urban planning? - Part 2

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in late January of this year, Malaysia witnessed a major win for environmental law in Malaysia, when the Federal Court - in a landmark decision -...

On the Peat Beat

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Peatlands are a type of wetland which occur in almost every country and are known to cover at least 3% of global land surface. Peatlands are an integr...

‘Policy Plans’ - The Path to Folly in Malaysia’s Urban Planning? - Part 1

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in late January of this year, Malaysia witnessed a major win for environmental law in the country, when the Federal Court - in a landmark decisio...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep2: Pulau Bangau in Teluk Intan

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is a new ecotourism-centred series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known  ecotourism spots right here i...

Natural Forest Clearing Approved for Palm Oil Plantations in Pahang

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

RimbaWatch recently brought attention to the Department of Environment’s (DOE) approval of an EIA for a palm oil project in Pahang, which amounts to...

A Huge Win with CA|TS Approval for Royal Belum State Park

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Royal Belum State Park, under the management of the Perak State Parks Corporation (PSPC), has been awarded the prestigious Conservation Assured |T...

Incinerators - A Pain In The Ash?

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A growing population also means a growing trash problem - just looking at Malaysia's stats, we reportedly generated over 38 thousand metric tonnes&nbs...

What's Driving Deforestation in Malaysia?

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier in March, RimbaWatch - formerly known as the Rimba Disclosure Project - released a study which revealed that Malaysia is set to lose 2.3 milli...

Macaranga Wrap-up: March 2023

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another month almost over, another roundup of top environmental news with the co-founders of journalism portal Macaranga. This month, Law Yao Hua and ...

Anchor Management with Greenpeace's Captain Pep Barbal

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 'Rainbow Warrior' is one of three ships in the Greenpeace fleet, patrolling the world's oceans and fighting for climate and environmental justice....

Messy Forest Data in Malaysia Messes Conservation

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a recently published two-part series, local journalism portal Macaranga, in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Ne...

Logging in Baram - Beneficial to Who, Exactly?

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier in March, Sarawak assemblyman Dennis Ngau claimed that logging in Ulu Baram, Miri, was welcomed by indigenous communities, and did not harm th...

Rewilding – A (Re)Growing Movement

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rewilding is described as an innovative way of restoring wild nature. It’s also said to be about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natura...

Forest Loss, Monoculture Plantations & Floods in Sarawak

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

These past few weeks have seen several states in Malaysia experiencing continuous rainfall, and subsequently with that, the occurrence of floods, evac...

The Rainbow Warrior

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly 50 years, Greenpeace has been sailing the world's oceans, protecting our planet and fighting for environmental justice. Through the Greenpe...

World Wildlife Day 2023: (Some of) Malaysia's Marvellous Mammals

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's World Wildlife Day on the 3rd of March, an annual UN International day to celebrate all the world's wild animals and plants and the contribution ...

Macaranga Wrap-Up: February 2023

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this month's roundup of environmental news, we're joined by Wong Siew Lyn, the co-founder of environmental journalism portal Macaranga. First, the...

Budget 2023: Prioritising the Environment Through Inclusive & Sustainable Economic Growth?

26 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim retabled Budget 2023 last Friday on the 24th of February, after the first tabl...

Pushing The Green Agenda Through Parti Hijau Malaysia

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Parti Hijau Malaysia or the Green Party of Malaysia is the new kid on the block, focussed on highlighting environmental issues in Malaysia, and protec...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta Ep1: Kuala Tahan

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off a new ecotourism-centred series on Earth Matters - Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta - which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right ...

GAIA To The Rescue Of Endangered Hornbills

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2015, wildlife researcher Dr Ravinder Kaur and wildlife photographer Sanjitpaal Singh set up the social enterprise Explore GAIA, to conserve t...

Sg Ara Hillslope Development Quashed - A Major Win for Environmental Law

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Late last month, the Federal Court in a landmark decision, quashed a hillside development that was issued by the local authority in Penang. Federal Co...

Wild About Wetlands Part 2: Using Wetlands Wisely

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was World Wetlands Day on the 2nd of February, and we wanted to give props to the many underrated habitats that fall under the category of wetlands...

Macaranga Wrap-up: January 2023

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up on some of the top environmental news of January 2023, with the co-founders of environmental journalism portal, Macaranga. This month, we ...

Wild about Wetlands Part 1: What Are Wetlands?

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

February 2nd marks World Wetlands Day, and 2023's theme is “It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration,” highlighting the urgent need to prioritise wetl...

Saving Bukit Dinding

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Standing at 291m, Bukit Dinding is described as one of the last green fortresses in Kuala Lumpur, and is a popular recreational spot for many. Back in...

Hazen Audel - The More You Learn, The Less You Need

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hazen Audel is a biologist, TV presenter, and natural history guide, who is Kootenai and Salish Native American and Greek by descent. He founded The W...

Swap, Don't Shop!

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Swap Project (TSP) was launched in late 2018 by Jayda Chong and Jamie Choy, two young women who "are passionate about sustainability in a fashiona...

Live Songbirds, And Prosper!

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in November 2022, the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) took place in...

The Global Biodiversity Framework - A Framework for All Life on Earth?

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One million species are currently at risk of extinction. Back in 2011, almost 200 countries agreed to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a set of 20 targ...