All posts by Liani MK

In-Depth

Tanjung Manis mangroves reviving thanks to community buy-in

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Tanjung Manis mangroves are reviving thanks to early community buy-in

Rehabilitating mangroves is slow and failure-prone, but in Tanjung Manis, Sarawak, indigenous communities make headway in close cooperation with an NGO. |  Photo: checking growth by Arieff Zafir

Writer: Liani MK  |  Photographer: Arieff Zafir
Editor: SL Wong
Cartographers: Louis Lugas and Irma Garnesia

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

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.

(more...)
In-Depth

Fighting Floods with Better Drainage in Kuching

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Outdated drainage in Kuching is intensifying flash floods and leaving communities vulnerable. Infrastructure must improve, plans streamlined and solutions account for state-specific conditions.

WHEN A deluge of rain hit Kuching, Sarawak in late August, it brought back the nightmare of the flood in 2021 that left Jeremy Aaron and his family stranded for 3 days.

“The first day was very kelam-kabut (hectic),” says the resident of Kampung Tabuan Dayak. “Everyone rushed to salvage their electric items…We stayed on the second floor the whole time, and called our elderly neighbours to check on them.”

(Feature image: Drains in Kuching are woefully inadequate to cope with denser cities and extreme rainfall  |  Photo by Arieff Zafir)

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In-Depth

Sowing Seeds of Resilience in Heirloom Rice

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As the climate crisis continues to impact rice production, heirloom rice could save the day, as the highlands farmers of Sarawak show.

AT LONG Semadoh, there is plenty of rice. In fact, there is so much that excess is sometimes fed to livestock.

“Some people from outside our village think it’s outrageous that we feed our heirloom rice to our pigs,” says villager Peter Tadam with a laugh. “But what’s wrong with giving good food — food we plant with our hands — to our livestock?”

(Feature photo: Beras Adan Merah is one of the Long Semadoh heirloom varieties that have been grown for generations | Image: Arieff Zafir)

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