All posts by Macaranga

Insight

In Defence of Orang Asli Rights

[First published Sept 26, 2019; updated Jul 3, 2021]

On Sept 25, the court heard an injunction application to stop private entities from logging and farming in Temiar customary land in Kelantan. This is the latest hearing related to the first legal action taken by the Malaysian federal government on behalf of Orang Asli regarding land rights. SL Wong and Darshana Dinesh Kumar report.

CAN YOU imagine having to barricade your home to prevent its destruction? That is what forest-based indigenous communities in Sabah and Sarawak have had to resort to for almost 40 years.

In Peninsular Malaysia, the Temiar Orang Asli community were forced to do so for the first time in 2012. The Gua Musang, Kelantan, communities started setting up barricades after repeatedly failing to resolve land use conflicts with the state government, federal agencies and companies. 

(Photo: The Pos Simpor community at the July Kota Bharu High Court hearing of the Kelantan state government’s application to strike out the AG’s suit. Courtesy of Siti Kasim)

Continue reading In Defence of Orang Asli Rights →
Voices

Voices

Audio
Turtle Conservation Society

Our environment is our shared responsibility. But some people take on this responsibility more than others. And the world’s a better place for it. These are their voices.

(Photo: Educational talk on turtle and terrapin conservation to 900 students in Terengganu. Credit: Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia)

MALAYSIANS SAY FORESTS ARE …

— first published November 2020
Kevin Hiew, Advisor, Reef Check Malaysia (Photo: SL Wong)

KEVIN HIEW WAI PHANG

Advisor, Reef Check Malaysia.

Winner of Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award, 2019.

“Conservation work…is really, really long term. I’m willing to go on doing it.”

 — Aug 2019; Photo: SL Wong

LYVIA CHONG KAI SYIN

Studies turtles at SEATRU, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

“Conservation needs everybody on board…before it’s too late.”

— Aug 2019; Photo: SL Wong

Researcher with Turtle Research Unit, UMT. Studies energetics of baby turtles. Credit: SL Wong
Ravinder Kaur runs hornbill conservation programs in Sabah through her NGO Gaia. Credit: YH Law

RAVINDER KAUR

Runs hornbill conservation programmes in Sabah through her social enterprise Gaia.

“Finally seeing the chick fledge…makes you feel like part of the family.”

— Aug 2019; Photo: YH Law

JEETHVENDRA KIRISHNAMOORTHIE

Restores coral reefs as a science officer with TRACC.

“This environment wants to survive … we’re good to give it a stepping stone.”

— Aug 2019; Photo: YH Law

Marine conservationist Jeethvendra helps restore coral reefs as a science officer with TRACC. He's doing a Master degree on an image-recognition tool for sea turtles.

MORE COMING SOON!

Macaranga

ICCB: All Things Conservation

[UPDATED: 25 August 2019]

HOW TO talk to poachers. Why biodegradable plastic isn’t good enough. When a roadside patch can serve as a natural history classroom.

This was the recent International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) 2019 where Macaranga listened in, asked questions, and took notes. We tweeted and reported on some of the diverse and thought-provoking Malaysia-related topics presented there. (Check out our Twitter feed and follow us!)

Besides an analytical feature on the conference, our reports spotlighted conservationists and new research, showcasing how Malaysia fits into the global conservation landscape. We were also on BFM89.9 radio to discuss the event and its impact on local conservation.

Continue reading ICCB: All Things Conservation →

EcoSystem

Ecosystems

Leave a comment

This is where we feature the various ecosystems in Malaysia. From cloud forests to coral reefs, these are the rawest reasons we do environmental journalism. For each ecosystem, we tell the stories of not only the natural living and non-living components of these communities and systems, but also the human ones. Here, you can explore natural Malaysia in text, voice and photos, guided by the experience of those who know it well.

HEATH FOREST ECOSYSTEM

Pitcher plants (Nepenthes rafflesiana) climbing up trees at Bako National Park, Sarawak. (Clivid on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/lungfish2000/6928265509/in/album-72157629450399257, CC-BY, ND 2.0)
Pitcher plants (Nepenthes rafflesiana) climbing up trees at Bako National Park, Sarawak. (Clivid on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/lungfish2000/6928265509/in/album-72157629450399257, CC-BY, ND 2.0)

The Ibans call heath forests ‘Kerangas’, or the land that cannot grow rice. These forests, mostly found on Borneo, are a rare and largely unknown feature of Malaysia’s tropical ecosystems. Sandy, acidic soil means dry, nutrient-poor environments. And yet, a unique community has evolved to thrive there.

Heath forest in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah. (Giacomo Sellan)

HEATH SOIL IS FAR FROM BASIC

with Giacomo Sellan
(Photo: Giacomo Sellan)

 

MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM

Mangroves, Kemaman, Terengganu (SK Chong/Sasyaz Holdings)
Mangroves, Kemaman, Terengganu (SK Chong/Sasyaz Holdings)

Living between sea and land are mangroves (‘bakau’), protectors of coasts, ‘reclaimers’ of land, nurseries for fish. An ecosystem that is at once wet and dry, brackish and saline, it is defined most by stilt roots and mudflats. But its biodiversity and ecosystem roles are larger and more complex than what meets the eye.

Gold-spotted Mudskippers (Periophthalmus chrysospilos) waddling in the mudflat at Bako National Park, Sarawak. Photo by Chien Lee.

FISH ON LAND: Mudskipper (Gobiiformes)

with Khaironizam Md Zain
(Photo: Chien Lee)

Awash in sea water twice daily, mangrove trees thrive in a challenging environment.

HOW DO MANGROVES ESCAPE THE SALT?

with Alison Kim Shan Wee
(Photo: Alison Kim)

Boardwalk in mangrove forest at Matang, Perak, Malaysia

MANGROVE CARBON STORES

with A. Aldrie Amir
(Photo: A. Aldrie Amir)

Saltwater crocodile in water.

REPTILE KING: Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)

with Wan Nor Fitri Wan Jaafar
(Photo: Wan Nor Fitri Wan Jaafar)

COMING SOON:

  • Mangrove Carbon Stores 
  • Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)

KARST ECOSYSTEM

Karst Ecosystem poster - Macaranga
Tower form, Gunung Rapat, Kinta Valley (photo: Cheang Kum Seng)

Popularly referred to as limestone (‘batu kapur’), Malaysia’s remarkable karst landscape has been sculpted by centuries of action of water on soft rock. It is also home to unique life-forms and is part of human life. Coming up, we talk to those who know it well to celebrate its myriad facets, in our first ecosystem spotlight.

An online gazetteer for limestone outcrops in Malaysia can be used to locate limestone outcrops of interest (Liew Thor Seng)

MAPPING EVERY HILL

with Liew Thor Seng
(Photo: Liew Thor Seng)

Rock climbing on limestone (Photo: Chan Yuen Li)

SCALING HEIGHTS: Rock climbing

with Chan Yuen Li
(Photo: Chan Yuen Li)

Dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea) live in large roosts in limestone hill caves. One of the largest fruit bats in mainland Southeast Asia, dawn bats pollinate many species of fruit trees, including regional favourites durian and petai. (Photo: Juliana Senawi)

FOR DURIAN LOVERS: Dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea)

with Zubaid Akbar Mukhtar Ahmad
(Photo: Juliana Senawi)

Karst ecosystem: Land snail (Opisthostoma vermiculum) (Photo: Foon Junn Kit)

FOUR AXES: Minute land snail (Whittenia vermiculum)

with Foon Junn Kit
(Photo: Foon Junn Kit)

KKarst ecosystem: Cave cockroach Pycnoscelus striatus (Photo: Shaharin Yussof)

CAVE TRANSFORMER: Cave cockroach (Pycnoscelus striatus)

with Lim Teck Wyn
(Photo: Shaharin Yussof)

COMING SOON:

Karst ecosystem: Perak Limestone (Photo: Cheang Kum Seng)

LIMESTONE LENSING: Karst photography

with Cheang Kum Seng
(Photo: Cheang Kum Seng)

Species Name 7

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

Comments are welcomed but shall be moderated. Do not use language that is foul, slanderous, violent or that may violate laws. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.