Fun fact: Asian arowana once sold for more than RM500,000! But did you also know that they were once so common, that locals were hauling them up by the dozens to eat? But the fish have been endangered for the past 50 years, and are rarely seen in our rivers and lakes now. Local environmental journalism portal Macaranga wrote a two-part series on the past decline of wild arowanas and current efforts to conserve them, and we find out more from journalists and co-authors of the piece, Law Yao Hua (Editor, Macaranga) and Tracy Keeling (Earth Journalism Networks' CITES Legal Trade Journalism Fellow) and Dr Haslawati Baharuddin, a research scientist from the Fisheries Research Institute, Department of Fisheries Malaysia.



Image credit: Eric Chiang/Macaranga

Fun fact: Asian arowana once sold for more than RM500,000! But did you also know that they were once so common, that locals were hauling them up by the dozens to eat? But the fish have been endangered for the past 50 years, and are rarely seen in our rivers and lakes now. Local environmental journalism portal <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.macaranga.org/">Macaranga</a> wrote a two-part series on the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.macaranga.org/conservation-of-asian-arowanas-needs-more-than-releasing-captive-fish/">past decline</a> of wild arowanas and current efforts to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.macaranga.org/conservation-of-asian-arowanas-needs-more-than-releasing-captive-fish-part-2/">conserve</a> them, and we find out more from journalists and co-authors of the piece, Law Yao Hua (Editor, Macaranga) and Tracy Keeling (Earth Journalism Networks' CITES Legal Trade Journalism Fellow) and Dr Haslawati Baharuddin, a research scientist from the Fisheries Research Institute, Department of Fisheries Malaysia.Image credit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.macaranga.org/conservation-of-asian-arowanas-needs-more-than-releasing-captive-fish/">Eric Chiang/Macaranga</a>

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All About Arowanas

As we close off April, it's time for our monthly Macaranga wrap-up show, where we give you a rundown of the top environmental news from the month past, curated by the co-founders of the environmental journalism portal, Macaranga. We speak to Law Yao Hua to discuss some major updates on the ongoing Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) saga, before turning our attention to what is set to be the first open trial on rhino horn trafficking activities, in Malaysia’s courts. We also chat about the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations happening at INC-4 in Ottawa, and why there is such an urgent need to craft a treaty to curb the scourge of plastic pollution.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

As we close off April, it's time for our monthly Macaranga wrap-up show, where we give you a rundown of the top environmental news from the month past, curated by the co-founders of the environmental journalism portal, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.macaranga.org/">Macaranga</a>. We speak to Law Yao Hua to discuss some major updates on the ongoing Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) saga, before turning our attention to what is set to be the first open trial on rhino horn trafficking activities, in Malaysia’s courts. We also chat about the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations happening at INC-4 in Ottawa, and why there is such an urgent need to craft a treaty to curb the scourge of plastic pollution.Image Credit: Shutterstock

Macaranga Wrap-up - Apr 2024

Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report by the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) exposes corruption and regulatory loopholes exacerbating the crisis, with Malaysia importing a substantial portion of plastic waste from Japan, raising doubts about Japan's support for waste management infrastructure in Southeast Asia. With a limited recycling capacity, Malaysia struggles to manage both domestic and imported plastic waste. In a previous episode, we discussed the challenges and loopholes identified in the institutional framework governing plastic waste imports to Malaysia, and how a lack of monitoring and transparency in the recycling industry compounded the issue. In this second part, we discuss among other things, how Malaysia can learn from China and Thailand's experiences in managing plastic waste and implementing policies to reduce imports, and how to address the challenges of waste colonialism and promote sustainable waste management practices both globally and in Malaysia, with Wong Pui Yi and Nabila Zulkeflee, from the C4 Center.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report by the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://c4center.org/">Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism</a> (C4 Center) exposes <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://c4center.org/policy-brief-ending-waste-colonialism-governing-plastic-pollution/">corruption and regulatory loopholes</a> exacerbating the crisis, with Malaysia importing a substantial portion of plastic waste from Japan, raising doubts about Japan's support for waste management infrastructure in Southeast Asia. With a limited recycling capacity, Malaysia struggles to manage both domestic and imported plastic waste. In a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bfm.my/podcast/bigger-picture/earth-matters/how-can-we-end-waste-colonialism-part-1">previous episode</a>, we discussed the challenges and loopholes identified in the institutional framework governing plastic waste imports to Malaysia, and how a lack of monitoring and transparency in the recycling industry compounded the issue. In this second part, we discuss among other things, how Malaysia can learn from China and Thailand's experiences in managing plastic waste and implementing policies to reduce imports, and how to address the challenges of waste colonialism and promote sustainable waste management practices both globally and in Malaysia, with Wong Pui Yi and Nabila Zulkeflee, from the C4 Center.Image Credit: Shutterstock

How Can We End Waste Colonialism? - Part 2

Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report by the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) exposes corruption and regulatory loopholes exacerbating the crisis, with Malaysia importing a substantial portion of plastic waste from Japan, raising doubts about Japan's support for waste management infrastructure in Southeast Asia. With limited recycling capacity, Malaysia struggles to manage both domestic and imported plastic waste. We find out more about the findings from this research, and how it sheds light on the need for transparency, traceability, and accountability, and advocates for a global agreement to combat plastic pollution, with two of the report's authors, Wong Pui Yi and Nabila Zulkeflee, who are both with the C4 Center.



Image Credit: Rich Carey, Shutterstock

Since the late 1980s, over a quarter of a billion tonnes of plastic waste have been globally traded, disproportionately burdening developing countries with insufficient waste management capacities, while enabling developed nations to sustain high plastic consumption. Referred to as "waste colonialism," this practice leads to irreparable harm to the environment and human health in importing countries like Malaysia, now a top destination for plastic waste following China's 2018 ban. A new report by the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://c4center.org/">Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism</a> (C4 Center) exposes <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://c4center.org/policy-brief-ending-waste-colonialism-governing-plastic-pollution/">corruption and regulatory loopholes</a> exacerbating the crisis, with Malaysia importing a substantial portion of plastic waste from Japan, raising doubts about Japan's support for waste management infrastructure in Southeast Asia. With limited recycling capacity, Malaysia struggles to manage both domestic and imported plastic waste. We find out more about the findings from this research, and how it sheds light on the need for transparency, traceability, and accountability, and advocates for a global agreement to combat plastic pollution, with two of the report's authors, Wong Pui Yi and Nabila Zulkeflee, who are both with the C4 Center.Image Credit: Rich Carey, Shutterstock

All About Arowanas

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