Category Archives: In-Depth

Long features 1200-1500 wds

In-Depth

Birds at Losing End of ‘Marathon’ Singing Competitions

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[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.

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In-Depth

Calls Grow to Protect Magpie-robins as Trade Soars

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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)

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In-Depth

Ways to Improve Malaysia’s Ecological Fiscal Transfers

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Rock quarries have been expanding within Bukit Lagong forest reserve, Selangor. (Satellite image from Google Earth/Airbus)

Ways to Improve Malaysia's Ecological Fiscal Transfers

Conservationists broadly agree that the EFT mechanism has been good for Malaysia and that all states could benefit from more money for biodiversity protection. But increasing allocations, making the scheme legally permanent and giving states more freedom on how they can spend EFT funds could make this mechanism more effective.

A co-publication by Macaranga and Eco-Business.

Writer: Samantha Ho

Editor: YH Law

Published: 10 April 2025

Part 1 |  Part 2

(Feature image: The Selangor state government has been approving expansion of quarries (left) in the Bukit Lagong forest reserve. | Satellite image from Google Earth/Airbus)

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In-Depth

Bright spots in the dark: Tracking Malaysia’s fiscal transfers for nature conservation

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Bright spots in the dark: Tracking Malaysia's Fiscal transfers for nature conservation

The federal government said its Ecological Fiscal Transfer funds have spurred state governments to add protected areas and run conservation programmes. Yet as environmentalists are calling for more EFT funding, our analysis finds little transparency on most of the money disbursed, despite some state-level data from Johor and Sabah.

A co-publication by Macaranga and Eco-Business.

Writer: Samantha Ho  |  Editor: YH Law

Published: 8 April 2025

Part 1 | Part 2

(Feature image by Macaranga) 

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In-Depth

The Public Must Get Involved Before the EIA Review

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In this third and final part on how the public can participate in EIA reviews, we discuss the need and ways to get the public more involved in development planning. It must start long before the EIA process. Also read Part 1 and Part 2.

WHEN MARINE conservationist Alvin Chelliah chatted with experts for the Tioman airport EIA report, their replies were calm, technical, and dotted with data. For the local villagers, however, emotions ran high, for the stakes were higher.

“They were stunned and shocked to hear exactly what was happening,” recalled Chelliah of his at Kampung Paya and Kampung Genting. These villages sat on the shore by the proposed airport. Before Chelliah showed them the site map from the EIA report, the villagers did not know where the airport runway would be.

He and his team had been encouraging locals to share their views. But many of the details in the report – construction physics, soil dynamics, hydraulics – were gibberish to the untrained.

(Feature image: Marine conservationists Alvin Chelliah (standing, right) went to 7 villages on Tioman Island to present his team’s findings of the EIA report. | Photo: Reef Check Malaysia)

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In-Depth

Producing Public Feedback that Works for EIA Reviews

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In this second part on how the public can participate in EIA reviews, we lay out suggestions by civil society and government efforts to improve the process. Part 2 of 3. Read Part 1 and Part 3.

IN 2023, marine conservationist Alvin Chelliah had a challenge the size of an encyclopaedia. Splayed across his computer screen was the environmental impact assessment report (EIA) of the Tioman airport project.

The main report was over 1,000 pages thick. Chapter 6, which described the environment on the project site alone, had 200 graphs and 125 tables. The appendix was twice the size of the main report.

Chelliah, the Chief Programme Officer at Reef Check Malaysia, was looking for gaps in the report. The federal Department of Environment (DOE) had put up the report for public review in June 2023. Chelliah had 30 days whereby the report would stay online, and another 15 days to submit comments.

He and his team had been encouraging locals to share their views. But many of the details in the report – construction physics, soil dynamics, hydraulics – were gibberish to the untrained.

(Feature image: A random selection of the hundreds of graphs, tables and images in the EIA report of the proposed Tioman airport project. | Compiled by Macaranga)

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In-Depth

How Public Input Affects EIA Reports

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The government recently said that it “welcomes public comments on EIA reports”. Macaranga digs into what comments actually matter, and why. Part 1 of 3. Read Part 2 and Part 3.

WHEN RARE earth refinery Lynas Malaysia wanted to build a disposal facility for its radioactive waste in 2021, its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report got a record-breaking 4,000 comments from the public. Most opposed the facility. But the report got approved anyway.

Does public feedback even matter? It does, but only if it addresses technical issues in the report. The EIA review is not a voting process, say EIA consultants.

In this 3-part series, Macaranga speaks with the Department of Environment (DOE), EIA consultants, and civil society organisations to learn how we can make public participation more meaningful in shaping what projects are run and how.

(Feature image: KUASA, an environmental NGO, held mock environmental impact assessment sessions for Orang Asli communities to prepare them for future dialogues with developers and consultants. (Photo courtesy of KUASA))

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In-Depth

Jury Out on Whether Petting Zoos Aid Conservation

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Petting zoos are gaining in popularity and host local and exotic animals. In Part 2, we ask how petting zoos are sourcing their wildlife, especially animals that are legally protected.

PALM COCKATOOS (Probosciger aterrimus) are handsome birds. Smoky black feathers, tomato-red cheeks, and a high mohawk crest. This bird – one of the few known to make tools for music – originates from New Guinea and northern Australia.

But in Malaysia, you might find them in petting zoos and zoos. Some have even been trained to perch on human arms for photos.

Wild individuals cannot be imported into Malaysia for commercial purposes, but captive-bred ones may. However, conservationists point to the murkiness surrounding sourcing these rare parrots.

(Feature image: Insta-worthy, but how much does providing such interaction help conserve wild parrots? |  Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

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In-Depth

Petting Wildlife Sending Mixed Signals

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Petting zoos with their wildlife and exotic species, are becoming increasingly popular. In Part 1 of 2, we look at the impact of these facilities on the welfare of both wildlife and humans.

AS SOON as they entered the petting zoo, schoolchildren excitedly rushed towards the pygmy horse behind a wooden fence. Quickly, they grabbed carrot sticks from their plastic tub feeding kits. The next instant, they were waving more than a dozen carrots at the horse.

Each child was hoping the horse would pick the one in his hand. But that was just a starter for the children at Farm in the City, one of the largest petting zoos in Malaysia.

(Feature image:  The boom in petting zoos has pros and cons, as they feature wildlife, including exotic creatures such as the Aldabra giant tortoise, endemic to Seychelles |  Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

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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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