Forestry officials are our eyes in forests. They are tasked with keeping an eye on logging to ensure that no illegal activity takes places in the country’s much-depleted forests. But what happens when the eyes of these officials are willfully blind to such logging? What happens is this: loggers can…

Clouded leopards are elusive creatures that hunt at night and spend most of their time away from prying eyes within dense forests. Thus, estimating their numbers in places like Sabah’s forests is a challenging undertaking. Yet a team of scientists led by researchers at Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU)…

Deforestation continues apace in Sarawak, and much of that deforestation is illegal, or at the very least suspect. Sarawak needs to ensure that no forest is cleared illegally and that all trees that are cut down are done so in a sustainable manner. With this in mind, the prominent conservationist…

When it comes to protecting Malaysia’s world-famous wildlife, it often feels like the proverbial “one step forward, two steps back.” Officials in Sabah, for instance, report making progress in their ongoing clampdown on the sale of so-called bushmeat in Sabah. One step forward. But then comes news that there has…

When wild elephants begin trampling around plantations in search of food, they may unwittingly place themselves at risk. Irate farmers may take their anger out on the gentle giants by shooting or poisoning them. That is why officials and conservationists have to ask fast whenever elephants show up at plantations….

Air pollution is bad. We all know that. Yet what you may not know is just how bad it can be when it comes to our health. As we have explained here on Clean Malaysia repeatedly, prolonged exposure to air pollution can lead to several debilitating medical conditions from preterm…

If there is a constant about Penang’s environmental woes, it’s this: land reclamations on the island continue to threaten its environment. At its core, it’s a clear-cut matter: developers on the island want to develop, but space is at a premium because there is only a very limited supply of…

Canada. Mention the country’s name, and many people can’t help but instantly picture vast stretches of unspoiled natural bounty with scenic mountains and meadows teeming with wildlife. That’s hardly a surprise. Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, with a whopping 9.984 square kilometers of land…

A problem with water pollution is this: those who actively engage in polluting Malaysia’s water sources can routinely do so with impunity. Why? Because environmental laws are wanting and rarely enforced vigorously enough. If the government in Johor has its way, however, this will change not just in the Malaysian…

Two pygmy elephants and a hundred sea turtles. These are just the latest victims of poachers in Sabah. Conservationists and government officials are duly outraged at the continuing slaughter of the state’s endangered wildlife. “The recent discovery of hundreds of turtle bone fragments and turtle carcasses floating in the sea…

First came the crime: the remains of as many as 100 sea turtles were discovered on Bum-Bum Island off Semporna in Sabah. The carcasses of the protected reptiles had been stripped off their shells. The culprits could have been stateless seafaring nomads who live off the coast of Borneo and…

Let’s admit it: when it comes to the environment, be it in Malaysia or elsewhere around the planet, things tend to seem gloomy and doomy. Yet now and then comes news that gives us cause for hope. Here’s one bit of such good news: global CO2 emissions stayed constant last…

Another two pygmy elephants are dead in Sabah, both of them having killed by people. The remains of the two jumbos were found only a few days apart in Tawau and Sandakan by wildlife officials. At least one of the pachyderms may well have been killed by poachers for its…

Researchers have long been sounding the death knell for sea turtles and not without cause. Several species of these placid reptiles around the world’s oceans, including Malaysian waters, have been pushed ever closer to the brink of extinction. The animals have been losing their traditional nesting grounds to coastal developments…

Illicit wildlife products have been pouring into and out of Malaysia: elephant tusks, pangolin scales, deer antlers, tiger claws, sun bear teeth and claws. We know because in the past few weeks alone Malaysian authorities have managed to seize tons of such items at ports and airports from Sabah to…

Some habits (and customs) die hard. These include a penchant for shark fin soup as a prized dish at weddings and banquets in Malaysian Borneo. But what if, instead of trying to wean die-hard shark-fin lovers off this pricey delicacy, we offered them an alternative that tasted just as nice…