Nature Reads: Small Stories, Big Ocean Lessons

On this episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Malaysian children's author and scuba diver Gloria Chieng, together with co-host Jennifer Neoh Tan, Bookshop Manager at Sunda Shelves. We explore the books and experiences that inspired Gloria's love of nature, how her time beneath the waves led to her d…

Sustainable Finance: Protecting Forests or Greenwashing?

Sustainable finance has become a major part of the global push towards tackling climate change and protecting nature. By helping direct investment towards projects that deliver environmental and social benefits, it has the potential to reshape how development happens. Here in Malaysia, Bank Negara …

Who Decides Coastal Development?

Land reclamation is often promoted as a driver of economic growth, but it's also one of the most controversial forms of development, with lasting impacts on the environment, coastal communities, and traditional livelihoods. Now, a recent Court of Appeal judgment involving the Penang South Islands r…

MY Garden Birdwatch: Count Birds, Help Conservation

Birds are often described as indicators of the health of our environment. When bird populations change, they're often telling us something about the ecosystems we all depend on. That's one reason projects like MY Garden Birdwatch matter. Returning this July after a four-year break, the nationwide s…

Following the Fate of Our Forests

Ever so often, we hear about another patch of forest being cleared, excised or reclassified. But if you've ever tried to find out exactly what happened, when it happened, or whether it was even legal, you'll know just how difficult that information can be to access. That's exactly the problem journ…

Global Climate Talks & Local Impacts Explained

Climate action doesn't only happen at the annual UN Climate Conference, or COP. Throughout the year, negotiators, policymakers and civil society organisations meet to tackle the complex work of turning global climate commitments into practical action. Last month saw a packed calendar of major inter…

Examining Malaysia's Elephant Transfer to Japan

The transfer of three Malaysian elephants to Japan has sparked widespread debate over the past few months. While the move was described as a conservation partnership between two zoos, campaigners have questioned whether the transfer complied with Malaysian law, raised concerns about the elephants' …

Why Tourist Islands Are Drowning in Waste & How To Fix It

The more successful a tourist island becomes, the more waste it often has to manage. That's one of the central ideas behind a new report titled Pathways Towards Circularity: The Zero Waste Islands Framework, from GAIA Asia Pacific, which argues that many island destinations are trapped in an extrac…

Nature Reads: Remembering a Wilder Malaysia

For July 2026's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Rahayu Zulkifli, Chief Executive Officer of Marine Conservation and Research Organisation Malaysia (PULIHARA), together with co-host Dylan Jefri Ong, co-founder of Sunda Shelves. We explore the books that sparked Rahayu's love of nature and conse…

Is Malaysia Ready for a Super El Niño?

El Niño is often thought of as a weather phenomenon, bringing hotter and drier conditions to parts of the world. But according to the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia, the bigger story may not be the weather itself, but rather how prepared Malaysia is to deal with the pressures tha…