Between 2002 and 2023, Malaysia lost millions of hectares of humid primary forest. In places like Gua Musang in Kelantan, the impact of forest loss is being felt directly by Orang Asli communities. Villages in Pos Pasik, Pos Simpor, and Pos Bihai are reporting polluted rivers, damaged crops, conflicts with wildlife, and increasing pressure on customary lands. Some residents are now facing possible legal consequences for defending those lands through peaceful blockades. We speak to Heng Kiah Chun, Campaign Manager at Greenpeace Malaysia, to examine what is happening on the ground and the policy changes that are being called for through the #HutanKitaHakKita campaign.


Image credit: Greenpeace Malaysia

Between 2002 and 2023, Malaysia lost millions of hectares of humid primary forest. In places like Gua Musang in Kelantan, the impact of forest loss is being felt directly by Orang Asli communities. Villages in Pos Pasik, Pos Simpor, and Pos Bihai are reporting polluted rivers, damaged crops, conflicts with wildlife, and increasing pressure on customary lands. Some residents are now facing possible legal consequences for defending those lands through peaceful blockades. We speak to Heng Kiah Chun, Campaign Manager at Greenpeace Malaysia, to examine what is happening on the ground and the policy changes that are being called for through the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia/petitions/our-forests-our-future/"> #HutanKitaHakKita</a> campaign. Image credit: Greenpeace 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

Inside Gua Musang’s Orang Asli Struggles

In just one month, Orang Asli communities across Peninsular Malaysia have faced eviction, arrests, logging activity, and developments moving ahead without their consent. Civil society groups say these are not isolated incidents, but signs of deeper systemic marginalisation tied to land, power and profit, and are calling for the Prime Minister to honour his reform commitments and uphold Orang Asli customary land rights. We speak to Koong Hui Yein, Programme Manager at RimbaWatch, about what is happening on the ground, what is at stake for Orang Asli communities, and why this moment is a critical test of the government’s reform promises. 

In just one month, Orang Asli communities across Peninsular Malaysia have faced eviction, arrests, logging activity, and developments moving ahead without their consent. Civil society groups say these are not isolated incidents, but signs of deeper systemic marginalisation tied to land, power and profit, and are calling for the Prime Minister to honour his reform commitments and uphold Orang Asli customary land rights. We speak to Koong Hui Yein, Programme Manager at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rimbawatchmy.com/">RimbaWatch</a>, about what is happening on the ground, what is at stake for Orang Asli communities, and why this moment is a critical test of the government’s reform promises.&nbsp;

Orang Asli Rights and Broken Promises

Proposed changes to Malaysia’s seed laws have sparked a growing debate about farmers’ rights, food security, and corporate control. At the center of the discussion is UPOV 1991, an international framework that strengthens plant breeders’ rights but has raised concerns across the region. To help us unpack what this could mean for Malaysia and Southeast Asia, we’re joined by Sangeeta Shashikant, Legal Advisor and Programme Coordinator from the Third World Network, and Nori Ignacio, the Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment or SEARICE. 


Image Credit: SEARICE

Proposed changes to Malaysia’s seed laws have sparked a growing debate about farmers’ rights, food security, and corporate control. At the center of the discussion is UPOV 1991, an international framework that strengthens plant breeders’ rights but has raised concerns across the region. To help us unpack what this could mean for Malaysia and Southeast Asia, we’re joined by Sangeeta Shashikant, Legal Advisor and Programme Coordinator from the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.twn.my/">Third World Network</a>, and Nori Ignacio, the Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.searice.org.ph/">SEARICE</a>. Image Credit: SEARICE

Understanding Malaysia's Seed Law Shift

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.

Inside Gua Musang’s Orang Asli Struggles

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