Earth Matters

33:46

Putting the Environment Into Budget 2027

Earth Matters ·

2026/10/05

As Budget 2027 approaches, what should Malaysia be investing in to address pollution, climate impacts and the protection of our natural resources? Meenakshi Raman, President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, discusses environmental funding and enforcement, the rapid growth of data centres and their demand for water and energy, and the need to make polluters more responsible for the damage they cause. We also look at the transboundary haze, corporate responsibility across borders, the protection of

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39:28

What Does It Take to Save Malaysia's Endangered...

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/30

Every year, hundreds of young Southern River Terrapins are returned to the Kemaman River, but releasing hatchlings is just one part of the work needed to bring an endangered species back. We catch up with Dr. Chen Pelf Nyok, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia, on what the latest research is telling us, the threats facing terrapins, the role of local communities, and what’s in store for this year’s Annual Terrapin Release.Image Credit: Turtle Conservation

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44:17

Nature Reads: A Peek Into a Conservationist’s Bookshelf

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/28

What does a conservationist read when they’re not out in the field? Environmental researcher and conservationist Dr Teckwyn Lim shares some of the books that have shaped his thinking, from In Malay Forests and The Song of the Dodo, to Moby Dick, Incerto and more. Together with Surin Suksuwan, co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we explore how books about forests, history, science, literature and even uncertainty can change the way we see the natural world.Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show

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32:35

Klang River Festival: Protecting Kuala Lumpur’s River

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/23

The Klang River is one of the defining waterways of Kuala Lumpur, but for many of us, it's something we pass by without really noticing. The Klang River Festival is trying to change that, by bringing people closer to the river, its history, its communities and the habitat along its banks. Now in its fifth year, the festival has grown beyond a weekend event into a year-round effort to build a stronger relationship between people and the river. This year's theme, “Act!vating Habitat”, puts the focus

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36:41

From The Frontline: Orang Asli Futures (Part 2)

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/21

In the second episode of this two-part From The Frontline special, we turn to the voices of young Orang Asli and what they want for the future of their communities. Diana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, and Rosdila Ngah Roslan, all Programme Coordinators from Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli reflect on July’s Indigenous Youth Camp and Regional Panel, before we look at the proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954, the debate around customary land rights, and what meaningful

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32:14

From The Frontline: Life on Orang Asli Land (Part 1)

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/14

In the first of this two-part “From The Frontline” special, we hear from Orang Asli women about the land disputes affecting communities across Peninsular Malaysia. Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Diana a/p Tan Beng Hui and Rosdila Ngah Roslan, all Programme Coordinators from Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli, share what losing access to land can mean for everyday life, livelihoods, culture and community, and why women are often at the forefront of these struggles.From The Frontline is an ongoing series within

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42:06

An SOS to Save Our Seladang

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/09

When we talk about Malaysia’s endangered wildlife, the Malayan tiger usually gets the most attention. But there’s another large mammal in serious trouble, and there may be fewer than 200 of them left in the wild. The seladang, or Malayan gaur, once ranged across much of Peninsular Malaysia, but today, only a few small breeding herds remain. Even in protected forests, their numbers aren’t recovering. So why are seladang struggling to survive? What do they actually need, and what can we do before we

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40:03

Haze Again: What Haven’t We Fixed?

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/07

The haze is back - the air is smoky, visibility is down, and in some parts of the country, the air quality has reached dangerous levels. Fires across Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, are sending smoke across Southeast Asia once again. What's doubly worrying is that they are burning through one of the world's largest tropical peatland ecosystems. We've been living through and talking about Southeast Asia’s haze problem since the 1990s, we’ve had agreements, action plans,

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40:37

What Happened To The Baram Peace Park?

Earth Matters ·

2026/09/02

A plan to protect one of Sarawak’s remaining rainforest landscapes has instead ended with a major timber concession over the same forests, according to a new report about the Upper Baram. For years, Penan and other Indigenous communities in the region have pushed for their forests to be protected through what began as the Penan Peace Park and later became the Baram Peace Park. The idea eventually became a government-backed project with international support. But the report, Plundering the Baram

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38:21

Nature Reads: Bibliophile Peter Ong on Photography,...

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/24

For August 2026's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to wildlife photographer, author, conservationist and Head of Outreach at Roots & Shoots Malaysia, Peter Ong. Together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we explore the books and people that shaped Peter's interest in nature and conservation, including the influence of renowned primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, before diving into his own books: Wang Kelian, Perlis – The Forgotten Valley, Primus – The

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31:40

Why Is Malaysia Still Battling Haze?

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/19

The haze is back. For the past few days, many of us have been waking up to that familiar smell, hazier skies and air that we're really not supposed to be breathing. While the immediate question is where the smoke is coming from, there's a bigger question here: why, after decades of haze crises, are we still dealing with this? We look at what's driving this latest haze episode, revisit some of Malaysia's worst haze years, and ask whether we've actually learned anything from them with Heng Kiah Chun,

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42:57

Indonesia's Environmental Defenders Under Attack

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/17

Across Southeast Asia, there's a familiar tension between economic development and environmental protection. Governments talk about growth, companies talk about investment, while communities often find themselves fighting to protect the forests, rivers and land they've depended on for generations. A new Human Rights Watch report, Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice, looks at what happens when those communities push back. Drawing on more than 50 cases from across Indonesia, it argues that Indigenous

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34:34

Malaysia’s Genetically Modified Rice Trial: What’s at...

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/12

Rice is a staple food for millions of Malaysians, but a proposed field trial in Perak is raising questions about how we grow it, and who bears the risks when new technologies are introduced. The trial involves genetically modified MR219 rice that has been engineered to tolerate glyphosate, as well as resist certain bacterial and fungal diseases. But 61 organisations representing farmers, consumers and environmental groups are objecting to the trial, citing concerns about the increased use of

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30:15

Long Moh: Defending Land, Culture and Community

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/10

We marked International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on the 9th of August, a day to recognise Indigenous cultures, communities and their ongoing struggles for rights and recognition. In Sarawak, few issues are more fundamental to those struggles than land. The documentary Long Moh takes us to the Kenyah Lepu Tau community in Ulu Baram, where people are defending their ancestral forest from logging while creating their own community-led approach to conservation. But aside from one village's

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47:33

Restoring Rivers Through Gotong-Royong

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/05

Eight years ago, two neglected riverside dumpsites along the Klang River became the starting point for an ambitious experiment. The idea was simple: if people came together consistently to care for these places, could nature recover? Today, those spaces have become thriving community parks teeming with biodiversity, and what started as a grassroots restoration effort has grown into GREduAction!, a weekly initiative that combines ecological restoration, environmental education and community action

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42:26

Young Malaysians Confront Climate Change

Earth Matters ·

2026/08/03

It's easy to imagine that the climate crisis is still years away, but for many young Malaysians, it's already shaping everyday life, from getting to school safely and dealing with extreme heat, to worrying about floods, their wellbeing and what the future might hold. A new National Youth Climate Change Survey by UNICEF Malaysia and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability paints a sobering picture of how climate change is affecting young people today, but it also highlights

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43:39

Discoveries from Malaysia's Newest Tiger Reserve

Earth Matters ·

2026/07/29

Every year, Global Tiger Day reminds us of the urgent need to protect one of Malaysia's most iconic and critically endangered animals, the Malayan tiger. But protecting tigers isn't just about saving a single species, it's about protecting entire forests that are home to countless other plants and animals, many of which we still know surprisingly little about. That's exactly what researchers have discovered in the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve in Pahang. A scientific expedition has

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28:59

Nature Reads: Small Stories, Big Ocean Lessons

Earth Matters ·

2026/07/27

On this episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Malaysian children's author and scuba diver Gloria Chieng, together with co-host Jennifer Neoh Tan, Bookshop Manager at Sunda Shelves. We explore the books and experiences that inspired Gloria's love of nature, how her time beneath the waves led to her debut picture book, Paco the Hermit Crab, and why stories can help children connect with the ocean and the importance of protecting it.Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show where we explore the

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33:17

Sustainable Finance: Protecting Forests or Greenwashing?

Earth Matters ·

2026/07/22

Sustainable finance has become a major part of the global push towards tackling climate change and protecting nature. By helping direct investment towards projects that deliver environmental and social benefits, it has the potential to reshape how development happens. Here in Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia are developing a Sustainable Finance Taxonomy to help classify which economic activities can be considered sustainable. But civil society groups say that the

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28:27

Who Decides Coastal Development?

Earth Matters ·

2026/07/20

Land reclamation is often promoted as a driver of economic growth, but it's also one of the most controversial forms of development, with lasting impacts on the environment, coastal communities, and traditional livelihoods. Now, a recent Court of Appeal judgment involving the Penang South Islands reclamation project has sparked a new debate, not just about the environmental impacts of reclamation, but about who has the legal authority to approve it in the first place. Although the appeal against the

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