What’s the state of Malaysia’s coral reefs, and what can we do to protect them? These vibrant ecosystems are essential for marine life and coastal communities, but they face growing threats and pressure from human activity and climate change. Julian Hyde, the CEO of Reef Check Malaysia, walks us through the key findings of the Status of Coral Reefs in Malaysia 2024 report, focusing on the urgent need for sustainable management, and how protecting coral reefs is essential for Malaysia’s economy and future.



Image Credit: Reef Check Malaysia

What’s the state of Malaysia’s coral reefs, and what can we do to protect them? These vibrant ecosystems are essential for marine life and coastal communities, but they face growing threats and pressure from human activity and climate change. Julian Hyde, the CEO of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.reefcheck.org.my/">Reef Check Malaysia</a>, walks us through the key findings of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c9c815e348cd94acf3b352e/t/679303928b7d047400a770c9/1737687994506/2024+Annual+Survey+Report.pdf">Status of Coral Reefs in Malaysia 2024</a> report, focusing on the urgent need for sustainable management, and how protecting coral reefs is essential for Malaysia’s economy and future.Image Credit: Reef Check Malaysia

Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.

Earth Matters

Bleaching, Breakdown, and Hope for Coral Reefs

Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us. Every month, we team up with Sunda Shelves, an independent bookstore with a passion for wild places and thoughtful reads. This month, together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, the co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we turn our attention to a homegrown series that blends storytelling, folklore, and the natural world. We’re joined by writer and journalist Salhan K Ahmad, author of the Alak books, including Alak in the Hinterland and Alak and the Curse of Jerangau. We discuss the landscapes and ideas that shaped these stories, the books that first sparked his own love of nature, and how fiction can help us see the environment in new ways.

Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us. Every month, we team up with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/sundashelves">Sunda Shelves</a>, an independent bookstore with a passion for wild places and thoughtful reads. This month, together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, the co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we turn our attention to a homegrown series that blends storytelling, folklore, and the natural world. We’re joined by writer and journalist Salhan K Ahmad, author of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://alak.my/">Alak books</a>, including Alak in the Hinterland and Alak and the Curse of Jerangau. We discuss the landscapes and ideas that shaped these stories, the books that first sparked his own love of nature, and how fiction can help us see the environment in new ways.

Nature Reads: Folklore, Forests, and the Alak Books

Across Malaysia, questions about Orang Asli land rights have been back in the headlines, from the detention of villagers in Pahang over a land dispute, to communities facing displacement, environmental damage, and development carried out without meaningful consultation. One of the latest flashpoints is Pulau Carey in Selangor, where the Mah Meri community in Kampung Sungai Kurau says a proposed port expansion could threaten their fishing grounds, cultural heritage, and way of life. We speak with Lanuza Layon, Chairperson of the Kampung Sungai Kurau Village Development and Security Committee, and Sarah Amer, a Community Organiser from Gerimis Art Project, about what is happening on the ground, and what it reveals about the broader struggle for Orang Asli land rights in Malaysia.



Read more about the issue here and here.

Across Malaysia, questions about Orang Asli land rights have been back in the headlines, from the detention of villagers in Pahang over a land dispute, to communities facing displacement, environmental damage, and development carried out without meaningful consultation. One of the latest flashpoints is Pulau Carey in Selangor, where the Mah Meri community in Kampung Sungai Kurau says a proposed port expansion could threaten their fishing grounds, cultural heritage, and way of life. We speak with Lanuza Layon, Chairperson of the Kampung Sungai Kurau Village Development and Security Committee, and Sarah Amer, a Community Organiser from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gerimisart.com/">Gerimis Art Project</a>, about what is happening on the ground, and what it reveals about the broader struggle for Orang Asli land rights in Malaysia.Read more about the issue <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-westport-expansion-save-the-mah-meri-of-pulau-carey">here</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/artivismforoa">here</a>.

Development and Displacement in Orang Asli Lands

Illegal e-waste is not a new issue in Malaysia, but recent events have brought it back into the headlines in a big way, from enforcement raids to high-profile investigations and new policy measures. In our previous episode, we spoke about the situation here in Malaysia and the recent developments that have brought the e-waste issue into sharp focus. In this second part of our two-part series on Illegal E-Waste in Malaysia, we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, including the global systems that drive the e-waste trade and the longer-term solutions that might help break the cycle. Helping us to unpack these and more are Mageswari Sangaralingam, the Honorary Secretary of both Sahabat Alam Malaysia and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), and Wong Pui Yi, a researcher with the Basel Action Network.


Listen to Part 1 HERE.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

Illegal e-waste is not a new issue in Malaysia, but recent events have brought it back into the headlines in a big way, from enforcement raids to high-profile investigations and new policy measures. In our previous episode, we spoke about the situation here in Malaysia and the recent developments that have brought the e-waste issue into sharp focus. In this second part of our two-part series on Illegal E-Waste in Malaysia, we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, including the global systems that drive the e-waste trade and the longer-term solutions that might help break the cycle. Helping us to unpack these and more are Mageswari Sangaralingam, the Honorary Secretary of both <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://foe-malaysia.org">Sahabat Alam Malaysia</a> and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://consumer.org.my/">Consumers Association of Penang</a> (CAP), and Wong Pui Yi, a researcher with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://ban.org/">Basel Action Network</a>. Listen to Part 1 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bfm.my/content/podcast/illegal-e-waste-in-malaysia-part-1-a-problem-exposed">HERE</a>.Image Credit: Shutterstock

Bleaching, Breakdown, and Hope for Coral Reefs

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