Closing off Idyllic Beaches to Mass Tourism can Help Save Them

Closing off Idyllic Beaches to Mass Tourism can Help Save Them

Tourism is a vital part of economies in Southeast Asia, but much of tourism across the region comes with considerable costs to the environment. Popular destinations like beaches continue to be despoiled by the relentless swarm of tourists. Yet local authorities are often reluctant to limit mass tourism to such…

Bauxite Stockpiles have yet to be Cleared in Kuantan. Seriously

Bauxite Stockpiles have yet to be Cleared in Kuantan. Seriously

Two years after a moratorium on all bauxite mining was imposed in Pahang, local stockpiles have still not been cleared. Some 10 tons of bauxite still remains. In other words, the clear-up has been manifestly sluggish, even by local standards, to say the least. And so it goes. What seemed…

Pity the Poor Pangolins

Pity the Poor Pangolins

Pangolins are among the world’s most harmless and strangest mammals. They are also among its most trafficked animals, being driven inexorably ever closer to exctinction by unscrupulous poachers and wildlife trafficking syndicates. It seems the outrages against these shy and reclusive mammals never end. A case in point: Some 4,000…

Should the EU stay firm in its Stance on Malaysian Palm Oil?

Should the EU stay firm in its Stance on Malaysian Palm Oil?

Chalk one up to Malaysian palm oil companies. In late January, European lawmakers approved a new energy plan for the 28-member economic zone that included an impeding ban on the use of palm oil in motor fuels on the continent from 2021 onwards. Malaysian palm oil producers and their allies…

Let’s Mend our Wasteful Ways

Let’s Mend our Wasteful Ways

Often it seems we’re drowning in waste. In some cases, literally so. In the world’s seas and oceans, plastic waste has been accumulating at alarming speeds, engulfing large swathes of water and choking marine life in the process. On land too, there is way too much waste, putting great strains on…

Nothing wrong at Kemaman Zoo? Nonsense, say Animal Rights Activists

Nothing wrong at Kemaman Zoo? Nonsense, say Animal Rights Activists

Prominent Malaysian animal rights activists say that conditions at Kemaman Zoo in Terengganu are appalling. Members of the NGOs Malaysian Friends of the Animals and Friends of the Orangutans (Foto) have recently provided photographic evidence indicating that several resident animals, from orangutans to elephants, were being neglected and mistreated at…

SAM: Stop the Wanton Deaths of Wild Elephants

SAM: Stop the Wanton Deaths of Wild Elephants

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is astounded at the death of yet another wild elephant in Gerik, Perak. The incident occurred on January 3rd when a 40-year-old female elephant was electrocuted by a live wire on a roadwork construction site. Herds of wild elephants come into populated areas while foraging for…

The Problem of Plastic Waste will require Drastic Measures

The Problem of Plastic Waste will require Drastic Measures

Plastic waste is everywhere, but several countries, from Malawi to Morocco, have made plans to phase out plastic shopping bags and other disposable items. Now, following in their footsteps, Great Britain is planning to enact new measures aimed at weaning customers off disposable plastic products that are chucked out after…

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

An endangered Malayan tapir was killed in a road accident, then it was presently skinned and dismembered by several men who decided to retrieve its body parts. Around the same time, over the Christmas holidays, an endangered Malayan sun bear, too, was run down and killed in a road accident….

Are we seeing the Last of Malaysia’s Rhinos?

Are we seeing the Last of Malaysia’s Rhinos?

Malaysia has only two Sumatran rhinos left and both of them, a male and a female, are in captivity. It’s no surprise then that when Iman, the female, fell seriously ill recently her keepers became exceedingly concerned. Not long ago Puntung, another female rhino, had to be put down after…

A Clean Malaysia Milestone: This is Our 1,000th Post

Clean Malaysia was launched in August 2015 with a simple mission: to provide a window for locals and foreigners alike into the wondrous world of Malaysia’s natural environments by highlighting what ails these environments and what can be done to heal them. Clean Malaysia has been a nonprofit passion project…