Reclamation projects are going on left, right and center on the island of Penang. Literally so: on coasts and inland on hills. Environmentalists have been raising the alarm about such land reclamations, calling them a “time bomb.” Worse: the details of several such reclamations remain concealed from the public. But now a young activist…
The mangrove trees in Bagan Jermal were in the way so they had to go. To make way for a coastal reclamation project in Penang, the trees were uprooted from their ancestral swamp and transplanted in Sungai Acheh on the mainland. All that happened with the approval of the state’s Environment Department (DOE). “The mangrove trees were…
Malaysia’s stunningly beautiful coral reefs have been at increasing risk of mass bleaching as a result of growing water temperatures. And things, the United Nations warns, are only going to get worse for corals everywhere, Malaysia included. In coming years and decades many reefs will experience not just episodic bleaching once in a while, which is…
Even with the parlous state of wildlife preservation, it is rare to witness the slow but seemingly inexorable death of entire ecosystems in real time right before your eyes. Yet that’s what’s happening to the region’s coral reefs far and wide. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a wonder of the planet’s…
All of Malaysia’s marine environments are beautiful, but among the most astounding are its coral reefs. Surrounded by warm tropical waters, Malaysia plays host to part of the Coral Triangle. The Coral Triangle is recognized as the world’s foremost center of marine biodiversity and is a worldwide priority for conservation. …