In-Depth

How Pitas communities replant mangroves to reclaim their heritage

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How Pitas communities replant mangroves to reclaim their heritage

Mangroves are haltingly returning to land devastated by a giant shrimp farm, but for locals, recovering the forest is about more than planting trees; it’s a matter of heritage. |  Photo: a hurt land by Arieff Zafir

Writer: Liani MK  | Photographer: Arieff Zafir
 Editor: SL Wong
Cartographers: Louis Lugas and Irma Garnesia
File photos: Chen Yih Wen

Published: 23 September, 2026

This is a #BLUECARBON story, part of the Macaranga Project on Climate Disinformation and Indigenous People.

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In-Depth

RM71 million spent to replant mangroves; at least half have died

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RM71 million spent on planting mangroves; at least half have died

Planting mangroves to save coasts and counter climate change is deeply flawed in practice, say scientists, though success increases when local communities are involved. | Photo of mangrove seedlings by Arieff Zafir

Writer: Aidila Razak  |  Editor: SL Wong
Cartographers: Irma Garnesia and Louis Lugas

Published: 21 September, 2026

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In-Depth

Traditional Fisher-Guardians Test Meaning of Conservation

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Bajau residents of two islands in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park are battling eviction due to the lack of land titles, forefronting the tension between conservation and indigenous communities. Versions of this story were first published in The Star.

BEFORE dawn breaks over Pulau Sebangkat, Sabah, 36-year-old fisherman Mohd Gadafi Ahmad puts on a security vest, climbs into a boat and heads out to sea. His destination is not a fishing ground.

Instead, he patrols the waters around his island home in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP), watching for fish bombers and other activities that could damage the coral reefs he has spent years helping to protect.

(Feature image: One last house remains standing on the coast after hundreds of Bajau islanders were evicted from Pulau Bodgaya in 2024; mango orchards were also partly cleared [left]. |  Image by Patrick Mosinoh Jr)

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In-Depth

Can Malaysia expand its busiest port without displacing a cultural icon?

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Malaysia is going full speed ahead with the proposed Carey Island port, suggesting work could start by September. But the island’s Indigenous Mah Meri still do not know how their villages and the mangrove forests which support their world-renowned culture — will be impacted. Story co-published with Eco-Business.

THE EVE of the Hari Moyang festival (Ancestor’s Day) is traditionally a family affair in Kampung Sungai Kurau, a village on the edge of Selangor’s Carey Island.

As twilight falls on 18 March, adults and children of the Indigenous Mah Meri community gather around hand-built wooden shrines in their gardens. They have spent hours weaving nipah palm leaves and gathering fresh flowers to decorate the shrines, no two of which are the same.

(Feature image: Using mangroves bounty, the Mah Meri community worship ancestral spirits on Hari Moyang in sanggar (shrines), both in the sea, with Westport visible, and within mangrove forests.   |  Image by Samantha Ho

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In-Depth

Fish banned in China eaten in alarming quantities in Semporna

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Food tourists from China are flocking to Semporna to eat the Humphead Wrasse – valued but banned in China – and the consumption rate is concerning conservationists.

“SIS! BERAPA?” a fish seller shouts out to marine biologist Dr Achier Chung. “Sister! How much are you offering?” He lifts a fish to the water surface. In his palm, the fish flaps its pectoral fin.

Chung is at Semporna’s live seafood market, where most seafood is sold live, without price tags or weighing scales. Instead, sellers and buyers – largely tourists – negotiate through loud bargaining, hand gestures, and phone calculators.

(Feature image: This live Humphead Wrasse is being offered for sale in a noisy market where bargaining is part of the experience. |  Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

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In-Depth

US Rare Earth Pacts Raise Defence and Pollution Questions

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In the face of US pressure on strategic minerals, rare earth processor Lynas and upcoming rare earth supplier Kelantan pursue plans in the shadow of military use and environmental impacts.

MARCH WAS a busy month for Lynas Rare Earths with a slew of announcements. But the one that caught the eye – and wrath – of Malaysian NGOs was the signing of a letter of intent with the US’ Department of War.

The deal was to supply rare earth products “to support US national security and supply chain resilience objectives”.

(Feature image: As Malaysia starts mining rare earths, pollution risks from in-situ leaching extraction are a concern in groundwater-dependent Kelantan. |  Image by Mohd Naeem Mohd Nor)

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Remarks

Why Climate-Friendly Loans Need Legal Backing

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Contracts are not mere commercial transactions but are governance tools that safeguard environmental integrity and protect institutions from compliance risk, writes advocate & solicitor and ESG legal practitioner, Tan Poh Yee.

BANK LOAN decisions are not just financial transactions: they carry environmental consequences, influencing whether projects align with sustainability goals. Malaysia’s Paris Agreement 2015 pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions is supported by domestic laws and regulations that ensure financing decisions contribute to those goals.

(Feature pic: CCPT principles and categories help banks ensure loans meet climate goals for projects across sectors from agriculture to steel.  | Image by YH Law)

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In-Depth

Rising Flaring at Bintulu Casts Shadow over Malaysia’s LNG Plans

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Rising Flaring at Bintulu Casts Shadow over Malaysia’s LNG Plans

Petronas is pushing ahead with a global expansion strategy despite gas supply shocks caused by the war on Iran, as well as impacts on the climate and community health.

Writer: Wil Crisp  |  Editor: SL Wong
Data visualisation: Irma Garnesia and Louis Lugas

A collaboration between Macaranga Media and Point Source

Published: 23 April, 2026

Photo: In the last 4 years, emissions from Malaysia’s largest LNG plant have been increasing.

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When “Getting Close to Nature” Is a Business

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Glamping has come to a Port Dickson forest, giving Brian Khow, a nature-lover concerned with environmental justice, pause to reflect on such enterprises.

I WAS SHOCKED by the recent development in a forest reserve located along the border of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka. A private recreation facility has in the last few months emerged next to a beach in that forest.

Made up of luxury tents, campsites, and a café, this glamping operation now occupies a section of the beach, with fenced boundaries and facilities reserved for paying patrons.

(Feature pic: What does comfort in tents mean for our relationship with nature? | image by Sharon Chin)

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