Sabah and Sarawak are taking Steps to better Protect their Wildlife

Sabah and Sarawak are taking Steps to better Protect their Wildlife

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…

Meet the Tropic’s latest Tallest Tree

Meet the Tropic’s latest Tallest Tree

Malaysia’s trees keep on breaking world records. Last July a 89.5-meter-tall yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) in Sabah’s Maliau Basin Conservation Area was declared the tallest tropical tree in the world. After careful measurements with laser-scanning technology, it was found to be just a tad taller than the previous record-holder: another stately yellow meranti…

Let us Save Malaysia’s last Dugongs

Let us Save Malaysia’s last Dugongs

Among Malaysia’s least-known residents is a species of shy marine mammals. They look remarkably like seals and are almost as elusive as the mythical mermaids that people used to mistake them for. We’re talking of dugongs, of course. Dugongs are among the rarest wild creatures in the country with a mere…

Penang Hills Watch lets Locals watch out for their Forests

Penang Hills Watch lets Locals watch out for their Forests

Depending on your vantage point on the island, Penang may seem like a place still covered in plenty of lush green vegetation. But that view can be deceptive. Penang has been largely deforested over the years and decades with a mere 7.4% of it still boasting forests. Of those forests,…

The Heart of Borneo

The Heart of Borneo

The single largest stretch of rainforest left standing in Southeast Asia sits on the tropical island of Borneo.  Called the Heart of Borneo Rainforest, it is the world’s third largest rainforest and could be the most biodiverse.  The forest is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.  It has been historically…

Saving the Ocean One Reef at a Time

Saving the Ocean One Reef at a Time

Coral reef destruction, ocean acidification and illegal fishing are gripping the island of Borneo, but an insightful marine conservation outfit is doing everything it can to reverse the damage. The Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC) is a nonprofit organization based in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo.  Running…

Malaysia Tourism Bounces Back, Greener This Time

Malaysia Tourism Bounces Back, Greener This Time

Two major airplane crashes, a rash of kidnappings and an earthquake in Malaysia last year saw tourism take a sharp nose dive. Malaysian flight MH370 went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.  This awful mystery was followed by Flight MH17 being shot down over…

Biodiversity in Malaysia to get More Help from Government

Biodiversity in Malaysia to get More Help from Government

Malaysia’s national biodiversity policy is currently being revised to include further consideration for the country’s delicate environment.  The opportunity is a great one – the vital document hasn’t been reviewed in decades, and it could do more to protect Malaysia’s plant and animal life. On paper, biodiversity in Malaysia has…