Long features 1200-1500 wds
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
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.
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.
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.
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
