1 Oct 2024: In this wrap-up of environmental news in Malaysia, we look at why environmental and rights groups are calling on the EU to classify Sarawak as “high risk” under new EUDR anti-deforestation regulations.

We also covered how the trial of the first perpetrators accused of rhino horn smuggling in Malaysia heard of a car chase by PERHILITAN to apprehend them.

In another court case, the Semai of Ulu Geruntum, Perak savoured victory against hydropower companies constructing a dam on their customary land.

9 September 2024: Ouch, the law! Covering court can be daunting for journalists with no law background – and even for those with legal training. We addressed that head-on in our workshop, ‘Covering Wildlife in Court’, held from 4–6 Sept.

And it worked! Before the workshop, 9 out of 12 participants said their confidence level was 5/10 or below when it came to covering trials. After two-and-a-half days of  media training and writing, that flipped: 8 out of 10 participants rated their confidence levels above 5!

Specifically, though, the skills training is to better tackle stories on wildlife crime. The over-exploitation of nature is one of the five leading causes of biodiversity loss in Malaysia and globally.

As such, the Macaranga Mentorship on Covering Wildlife Trade and Crime in Malaysia project over the next year seeks to explore issues as drivers of over-exploitation, right up to how courts are sentencing wildlife crimes.

The project involves this workshop and a months-long mentorship by Macaranga to produce long-form stories. It also involves a youth component, whereby we continue our collaboration with YUFE to produce social media content on this topic.

This court-focussed workshop was organised by Macaranga and hosted by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. The workshop lead was  Macaranga‘s Siew Lyn, the wildlife trade and crime component was delivered by TRAFFIC’s Elizabeth John and court reporting veteran Shaila Koshy patiently went through the steps on how to cover court. Thanks also to Justice for Wildlife Malaysia for your participation.

The ‘Macaranga Mentorship on Wildlife Trade and Crime in Malaysia’ project is supported by Internews Earth Journalism Network.

27 August 2024: Fierce is the word for the young people who participated in the on-boarding workshop for the next phase of our #YUFExMacaranga collaboration starting this month.

The gang is ready to take on wildlife trade and crime in conjunction with Macaranga‘s year-long multi-newroom project on the same theme.

Their objective is to use social media to amplify efforts in combating wildlife crime and promote conservation awareness in Malaysia.

Keep your eye out for these posts!

This project is supported by Internews Earth Journalism Network. With thanks to Elizabeth John from TRAFFIC Southeast Asia for giving an overview of wildlife trade and crime.

[The above image comprises slides from 3 draft posts created in a blistering 15 minutes. Below are some of the #YUFExMacaranga collab posts from the last year, which were based on Macaranga stories.]

28 August 2024: We had a blast on 17 August at Rimba Ilmu‘s 50th anniversary. Humbled to be among the speakers at the terrific Sunda Shelves talks – the space was packed! Thrilled to meet our Macaranga Supporters, answer all questions and share why we do what we do. Thanks to all new member signups!

Our fellow speakers were @theroyalbelum‘s Lau Ching Fong who shared the chilling effect of poaching on tigers and their prey, while @Tshen18 mesmerised with his hunt of Sabah elephant ancestry proof. Many thanks to Sunda Shelves. A great way to celebrate Rimbal Ilmu at 50.