Category Archives: Opinion

Slow Adoption of Biotech Crops Could Cost Malaysia

With droughts and heavy rainfall disrupting agriculture, Malaysia’s slow uptake of biotech crops as a solution is worrying, writes science communicator Saarani Vengadesen.

AS ONE OF Southeast Asia’s agricultural powerhouses, Malaysia faces a growing challenge: how to sustain its agricultural output while protecting the environment.

With climate change affecting rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and increasing pest resistance, traditional farming practices are struggling to meet the demands of both farmers and the planet.

(Feature image: Food security needs to be bolstered with all the means available | Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

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A Roadmap for Disaster Resilience in Malaysia

From infrastructure to community involvement and good governance, resilience in the face of disasters must be built, writes disaster management professional Dr Sheikh Kamran Abid.

THIS November-to-December monsoon has been vicious, racking up the largest victim displacement – at least 120,000 – since the large big flood of 2014.

But Malaysia is no stranger to natural disasters. The country faces various environmental risks, from devastating floods to landslides and droughts. In recent years, the impacts of climate change have intensified these natural hazards, making it more urgent than ever to build disaster resilience.

(Feature image: As landslides and other natural disasters increase due to the climate crisis, resilience at every level needs to be built. | Screenshot from JKR Daerah Kinta Facebook )

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Co-existing with the Wild in the Valley

The Klang Valley’s rapid development threatens not only our local biodiversity but also the delicate balance required for harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife, writes wildlife conservation advocate Ashwiini Paranjothi.

WILDLIFE IS NOT limited to distant forests; it is present in our cities, adapting to urban life as green spaces shrink. Urban forests like Bukit Kiara and Bukit Gasing in the Klang Valley are home to a variety of species that now share their habitat with humans. The increased proximity has led to more frequent interactions and, unfortunately, more conflicts.

(Feature pic: When monkeys create chaos in neighbourhoods, human patience can run thin. | photo by Animal Neighbours Project)

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Nurturing a Nature Revival

Nature is trendy again. Conservationist Surin Suksuwan takes a look at the journey of colonial-era ‘Nature Study’ to the present.

NOW, PERHAPS more than ever before, Nature is becoming a concern for all rather than just to a fringe group who are labelled as tree huggers.

Unfortunately, it has taken the combined crises of climate change and biodiversity loss for people to realise that the Earth is in trouble and we cannot go on with business as usual.

(Feature pic: Nature Study was once taught to primary and secondary schoolchildren. | All photos by Surin Suksuwan)

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Green Pest Control Key to Sustainable Paddy Farming

Alternative pest control methods ensure the sustainability and yields of paddy farming in Tanjung Karang, finds student Chloe Holley.

PEST CONTROL is a critical part of agriculture because it can impact yield tremendously. But conventional insecticides can devastate the environment. In Tanjung Karang, Selangor, rice planters have turned to biological methods to control pests, a model for farmers everywhere.

(Feature pic: Rice farmers in Selangor are using environment-friendly means to counter pests | Photo by Maureen Beresford)

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Nibbling Away at Kota Damansara Forest

Inadequate protection of precious urban forests is shrinking them, warns community researcher and organiser Peter Leong.

TAPAN KUMAR Nath’s recent article in Macaranga, Support community efforts to better manage urban green spaces, shines an important light on the urgent need for community based organisations to gain a role in the governance of urban green spaces (UGS).

A 2019 study which found that KL “lost about 88% of its UGS between 2007 and 2017″ is most alarming – it highlights that the door of meaningful opportunity for these organisations’ impact in UGS governance is closing.

(Feature pic: In the densely built-up Klang Valley, remaining forest patches are precious to local communities | Photo by Dorothy Woon)

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Support Community Efforts to Better Manage Urban Green Spaces

Urban communities appreciate green spaces and should be allowed to co-manage these areas for better results, writes interdisciplinary researcher Tapan Kumar Nath.

IN 2022, the Prime Minister of Malaysia outlined directions towards developing and improving the country’s urban green infrastructure, which would turn into therapy spaces in an effort to relieve the stresses of life that directly improve mental and physical well-being of urban people.

To achieve this vision, I urge the authorities to engage community associations actively in the governance structure of urban green spaces (UGS).

(Feature pic: Precious forests stretch across the dense urban clusters of Kota Damansara and Mont Kiara. | Pic from Google Earth Pro, 2023)

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Please Stop Loving Our Corals to Death

The new airport for Tioman has been averted. Now, tourism needs a good relook, writes Reefcheck Malaysia’s Julian Hyde.

AS SCIENTISTS grow increasingly concerned about biodiversity loss and the accompanying loss of critical ecosystem services, the time has come to revisit tourism policy – and practice – in Malaysia.

This is particularly relevant following the recent decision by the government to abandon plans for a new airport on Tioman. The plan projected a four-fold increase in visitor numbers – from 250,00 per year to a million.

(Feature pic: Seeing fish or people? Tourists galore at a snorkelling site in Tioman |  Pic by Alvin Chelliah/Reefcheck Malaysia)

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Menghormati dan Bekerjasama dengan Orang Asal yang Berpindah

Wong Pui May berkongsi pengalaman Tok Batin Mohammad bin Pokok di Bengkel Dana +20, Jordan. Tok Batin Batek dari Kelantan menambah suaranya kepada seruan antarabangsa untuk bekerjasama dengan ahli komuniti dalam hal berkenaan pemuliharaan dan pembangunan.

Dunia kita kini menghadapi pelbagai ancaman, termasuk perubahan iklim dan kemusnahan alam semula jadi yang mengugat jaminan makanan, merosakkan harta benda dan membahayakan nyawa.

Terdapat banyak yang dapat dipelajari daripada cara hidup Orang Asal yang telah diamalkan secara turun-temurun yang dapat meningkatkan daya tahan alam semula jadi melalui pengurusan tanah dan air yang berkesan.

Inilah pesanan peserta dalam perbincangan antarabangsa yang diadakan pada September lalu, 20 tahun selepas Pengisytiharan Dana, di Rizab Alam Semula Jadi Wadi Dana, Jordan.

(Gambar: Tok Batin Mohammad bin Pokok [tengah] berbincang dengan peserta-peserta Bengkel Dana +20 di Jordan September lalu. |  Gambar oleh Wong Pui May)

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The Real Meaning of ‘Water is Life’

On World Water Day this 22 March, ecosystem restoration activist Kennedy Michael brings us on a journey of rivers, dams and our role as polluters.

RIVERS. THE watering pipes of mountains and forests and fields and factories. Bringing us fresh and clean water (once upon a time, now maybe not so) from the highest elevations to the lowest lands.

The shift from hunting and gathering to agrarian societies that signalled the start of early civilizations was centred around the fresh water brought by rivers.

And just as it did 6,000 years ago, it remains today for us the main source of our civilization.

(Feature pic: Raw water is carried through main supply pipes from the Klang Gates Dam to the water treatment plants in Wangsa Maju and Bukit Nanas  |  Pic by Alliance for River Three)

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