Workshop climate disinformation announcement

Training

Macaranga Workshop: Constructive Journalism, Climate Disinformation and Indigenous People

A public participant search among the Merambong meadow for seahorses during low tide in the pre-dawn hours. Changing tide times throughout the year means that sometimes survey trips can take place in complete darkness as well. (Vincent Tan)

Insight

Adopting Seahorses to Save Seagrass Meadows

In-Depth

It Takes a Village to Keep Fireflies Flashing

Remarks

To Rehabilitate Rivers, Community Action Matters More than Money

March 3, 2026 Macaranga Leave a comment

Money actually does not solve problems in river rehabilitation. Instead, continuity, consistency and persistence matter, writes ecosystem restoration activist Kennedy Michael.

RIVER degradation is a persistent challenge in rapidly urbanising Malaysia. Governance fragmentation, public disengagement, and infrastructural bias keep undermining ecosystem health. But long-term, community-driven, volunteer-led river ecosystem restoration and sustainability education provide a solution.

For over 390 consecutive weeks since 2018, the Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, communities have looked after the 5km stretch of Klang River in their area.

(Feature pic: Community power matters more than money in river rehabilitation | ART!)

Remarks

Only RM13 per Kilogram? Far From the Real Cost of Killing Marlins

February 24, 2026 Macaranga Leave a comment

Making catch and release mandatory in fishing competitions is long overdue as iconic apex fish keep getting targeted, writes marine biologist Dr Nicolas Pilcher.

LAST YEAR, a 230kg Black Marlin—majestic, rare, and irreplaceable—was landed and sold for RM3,000 during the 2025 Labuan International Sea Challenge, according to the Daily Express. That’s just RM13 per kilogram. Less than the price of squid.

For marine conservationists, this wasn’t a win—it was a black day for Malaysia’s efforts to protect the oceans.

(Feature pic: Saltwater big game fishing is coming under scrutiny for unsustainable practices | Canva)

Remarks

Islanders Squeezed Out by Mainland Boatmen

August 21, 2025 Macaranga Leave a comment

Redang Island is groaning under the weight of day-trippers and both nature and locals are suffering, warns marine advocate Julian Hyde.

IN JUNE, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) was one of several organisations that raised concerns about a video taken of Teluk Dalam, Redang Island, with so many boats lined up along the beach that it was scarcely possible to move between them.

The community marine conservation group that we support on Redang (Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) led local efforts to raise awareness of this growing problem.

(Feature pic: Some days, the Teluk Dalam beach is neck-deep in day-tripping boats, 90% of which are from the main land | Photo by imanredang)

Remarks

Save the Endangered Parrots at Tanjung Aru

August 14, 2025 SL Wong Leave a comment

Tanjung Aru’s beloved rare parrots must not be relocated, say birdwatchers Amar-Singh HSS and Ron Pudin.

TANJUNG ARU Beach in Sabah is an idyllic beach with tall old Casuarina trees, lovely sand and some of the most magnificent sunsets in the world. Located on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu its proximity to the city makes Tanjung Aru Beach a great place to bring the family and have a peaceful day out. Many tourists visit the site daily.

Equally important is that Tanjung Aru Beach is home to an endangered parrot, the Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis). Blue-naped Parrots are medium sized parrots with green plumage, blue on the nape and mid-crown, broad orange-buff edging on wings and yellow on the undersurface of the tail.

(Feature image: Little is known about the global population of the Blue-naped Parrot but the number of locations it is found is declining | Photo: Amar-Singh HSS)

Announcement

Change is coming to Macaranga

August 11, 2025 Macaranga Leave a comment

After 6 years, we are reviewing what we’ve done and reflecting on how better Macaranga can serve you, our readers. Check out this video where co-founders Siew Lyn and Yao Hua look back at what we have achieved and how thankful we are for the support you have given us.

We will still be active on our socials, so look out for our call to give your feedback. If you can spare some time, please sign up for our focused group discussions which will be held over the next few months.

You can always email us too. And of course read (or re-read) all our stories here!

[Feature image: Sunda Shelves]

Insight

Can Malaysia’s AI data centres go green?

August 5, 2025 Macaranga Leave a comment

A wave of AI server farms is turning Malaysia into Southeast Asia’s digital epicentre, but their high energy use could derail the country’s climate goals, writes Genevieve Mallet, Dialogue Earth.

DATA CENTRES are springing up across Southeast Asia as China and the US vie for Artifical Intelligence (AI) supremacy. Tech giants – from ByteDance and Alibaba to Google and Microsoft – are setting their sights on Johor, Malaysia’s manufacturing hub just across the strait from Singapore. A rich agricultural state, Johor is now also home to sprawling data centre parks.

Since 2023, Malaysia has announced RM99 billion in data centre investments, much of it involving AI facilities, with a further RM149 billion in the near future. With cheap electricity, labour and ample land, Malaysia has proven to be a compelling alternative to its land-constrained neighbour and is set to become the fastest-growing data-centre hotspot in Southeast Asia.

(Feature image: Workers at a data centre under construction in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor | Image © Vincent Thian / Associated Press / Alamy)

Insight

Ingrained in Culture, Songbird Competitions Reign

May 8, 2025 Mukhriz Hazim Leave a comment

Ingrained in culture, songbird competitions reign

A platform for community, a pleasurable pastime, and continuity in tradition: songbird competitions in rural Kelantan prevail, even as their impact on wild birds is unclear.

Text and Photos by Mukhriz Hazim

Published: 8 May 2025

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In-Depth

Birds at Losing End of ‘Marathon’ Singing Competitions

May 6, 2025 Low Choon Chyuan Leave a comment

[Feature image: This newly-bought Red-whiskered Bulbul is placed in a paper bag to be taken home by its future owner | Photo by Mukhriz Hazim]

Counting how many times birds sing in 13 seconds is fun for bird owners, but these ‘marathon’ competitions are endangering the Red-whiskered Bulbul.

OUTSIDE a birdcage repair shop in Kota Bharu, Kelantan is an open space with several metal stands. During the day, these metal stands are used to hang bird cages, dozens of them. They belong to different owners, who leave them at this shop while they are at work.

It turns out that this is a ‘songbird daycare’, not just for any bird but the Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus). Popularly known as Merbah Jambul, the birds are beloved pets and need regular sunlight, so their cages must be hung outdoors.

In-Depth

Calls Grow to Protect Magpie-robins as Trade Soars

April 30, 2025 Low Choon Chyuan Leave a comment

Growing songbird ownership, enabled by weak laws, is pushing Oriental Magpie-robins into cages – with growing concern over wild populations. A co-publication with Dialogue Earth.

THE ORIENTAL Magpie-robin’s melodious song, once a staple of Malaysia’s forests, is being silenced by the weight of a booming songbird trade. Demand is both domestic and from Indonesia, and enabled by gaps in Malaysian laws.

Known in Bahasa Malaysia as Murai kampung, the Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) is listed as being of Least Concern in terms of its conservation status.

But thousands have been seized by authorities in Malaysia since 2020, due in part to missing documentation required for exports, and to curb the spread of disease, among other things.

(Feature image: Everyone wants to own a Murai kampung but are there enough wild birds to feed this demand? | Illustration: Kabini Amin/Dialogue Earth & Macaranga)

Remarks

Securing Malaysian Skies Against Wildlife Traffickers

April 24, 2025 Macaranga Leave a comment

The alarming rise in wildlife smuggled through Kuala Lumpur airports to India calls for more surveillance and joint investigations, writes wildlife trade expert Kanitha Krishnasamy.

IN MARCH, 4 gibbons found nowhere else in the world except Borneo were discovered in the luggage of passengers who flew into Chennai from Kuala Lumpur. For 2 of these Endangered Eastern Grey Gibbons, the rescue came too late – they had died by the time they were found.

This kind of smuggling from both terminals of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to various locations in India has been persistent, frequent, sometimes in large quantities and involving a wide variety of species.

(Feature image: From monkeys to tortoises, smugglers are using Malaysian and Indian airports to smuggle wildlife | Composite image of posts in TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Facebook)

(Feature image: Workers at a data centre under construction in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor | Image © Vincent Thian / Associated Press / Alamy)

Ingrained in culture, songbird competitions reign

[Feature image: This newly-bought Red-whiskered Bulbul is placed in a paper bag to be taken home by its future owner | Photo by Mukhriz Hazim]

(Feature image: Everyone wants to own a Murai kampung but are there enough wild birds to feed this demand? | Illustration: Kabini Amin/Dialogue Earth & Macaranga)

A Malaysian Environmental Journalism Site