Killing Pythons for Fun and Profit

It seems that for many pythons in Malaysia it tends to be a case of “kill or be killed” whenever they come into contact with people. To wit: a man in the Kuala Langat district of Selangor was recently strangled to death by a 3.5m python. The serpent did not…

Air Pollution is a Threat Worldwide

In Bangkok, Thailand, schools had to be shut for days. In Warsaw, Poland, the sky darkened as much of the city was swathed in a baleful miasma. In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, children’s health came under serious threat. All these events happened at various parts of the globe within the space of…

Butchering Sharks and Rays in Sabah

The pictures are appalling. Taken by tourists on the resort island Pulau Mabul, they show some locals butchering large mantra rays in the shallows of the sea. Reportedly 13 devil sharks and two oceanic manta rays were among the marine creatures that were slaughtered by villagers in full view of…

Let’s ‘Get Serious’ about Plastic Bags

Plastic bags sure can come in handy. We can pick them up freely at stores and shops, carry our goods in them, and then dispose of them without a second thought. The trouble, of course, is that they are a scourge on the environment. Discarded mounds of non-biodegradable bags add…

Living in Harmony with Wild Elephants

Across Malaysia herds of wild elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people. They may end up severely injured or dead as a result. The pachyderms may be poisoned or shot when they venture into plantations to snack on crops. But it does not have to be this way. Take…

Plastic Waste sickens Coral Reefs

As if warming water temperatures were not bad enough for them, the region’s fragile coral reefs are facing an existential threat from another source: plastic waste. Reefs in the Asia-Pacific region have been swamped with billions of pieces of plastic waste, large and small, which has increased the threat of…

Drones can Help in monitoring Wildlife

Counting and monitoring wild animals, as many a conservationist well knows, are exacting tasks. Most animals tend to shy away from humans so experts need to rely on scat samples, paw prints, and camera traps in trying to put exact figures on wildlife populations. Human spotters, meanwhile, can make mistakes…

Living too Well is Unsustainable

We all want to live well. Why would we not? Wanting to do so is only human, after all. There’s just one problem: conspicuous consumption, which is often confused with living well, is environmentally unsustainable. Don’t take our word for it. There’s research to prove it. According to a paper…

Green Buildings are ‘on the Up’

Green buildings have been on the up and up across Malaysia. Need proof? Some 40% of new buildings in the country are being designed and constructed with various degrees of eco-friendliness. So says CK Tang, honorary secretary of the Malaysian Green Building Confederation. “Green building is cheaper than conventional building as…