The school holidays are around the corner, along with a string of long weekends and public holidays, which means many Malaysians are probably already planning road trips and quick getaways. And with all the recent conversation around fuel subsidy rationalisation and rising travel costs, suddenly that nearby nature escape is sounding a lot more attractive. Luckily, Malaysia is full of ecotourism gems worth discovering, especially during Visit Malaysia Year 2026, so today, we’re taking a road trip around Peninsular Malaysia, exploring nature-based destinations to the north, south, east, and west of Kuala Lumpur, with some help from Andrew Sebastian, CEO of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY).


Image Credit: Shutterstock, Visit Johor 2026

The school holidays are around the corner, along with a string of long weekends and public holidays, which means many Malaysians are probably already planning road trips and quick getaways. And with all the recent conversation around fuel subsidy rationalisation and rising travel costs, suddenly that nearby nature escape is sounding a lot more attractive. Luckily, Malaysia is full of ecotourism gems worth discovering, especially during Visit Malaysia Year 2026, so today, we’re taking a road trip around Peninsular Malaysia, exploring nature-based destinations to the north, south, east, and west of Kuala Lumpur, with some help from Andrew Sebastian, CEO of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ecomy.org/">Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia</a> (ECOMY). Image Credit: Shutterstock, Visit Johor 2026

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.

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Top Tips for Malaysian Ecotourism Road Trips

 More than 1,500 Orang Asli and supporters recently gathered in Putrajaya to submit a memorandum calling for greater recognition and protection of Indigenous customary lands. The demonstration comes amid growing concerns over land disputes affecting Orang Asli communities across the country, including the recent demolition of homes belonging to a Jakun community in Pekan, Pahang. We take a closer look at why land rights remain such a pressing issue, what's at stake for Orang Asli communities, and what advocates are calling on the government to do next, with Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Programme Coordinator from Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli and Albert Bansa, an Environmental Campaigner with Greenpeace Malaysia.

&nbsp;More than 1,500 Orang Asli and supporters recently gathered in Putrajaya to submit a memorandum calling for greater recognition and protection of Indigenous customary lands. The demonstration comes amid growing concerns over land disputes affecting Orang Asli communities across the country, including the recent demolition of homes belonging to a Jakun community in Pekan, Pahang. We take a closer look at why land rights remain such a pressing issue, what's at stake for Orang Asli communities, and what advocates are calling on the government to do next, with Eliana a/p Tan Beng Hui, Programme Coordinator from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/apakatawanitaorangasli">Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli</a> and Albert Bansa, an Environmental Campaigner with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia">Greenpeace Malaysia</a>.

The Push for Orang Asli Customary Land Recognition

Forest restoration is often described as a long game. Trees that are planted today may take decades to mature, and ecosystems can take even longer to recover. Yet restoring degraded ecosystems requires more than patience, it often depends on the commitment of individuals willing to invest their own time, energy and resources for results they may never fully see. In Sungai Buaya, Selangor, photographer, conservationist and Green Tree co-founder David Lok has spent years personally funding a forest restoration initiative that brings together Orang Asli communities, conservationists and forestry authorities. He joins us to discuss the challenges and rewards of restoring a degraded landscape, what meaningful progress looks like over decades rather than years, and how a new exhibition of his works, Forest Speaks, is helping to support the effort.

Forest restoration is often described as a long game. Trees that are planted today may take decades to mature, and ecosystems can take even longer to recover. Yet restoring degraded ecosystems requires more than patience, it often depends on the commitment of individuals willing to invest their own time, energy and resources for results they may never fully see. In Sungai Buaya, Selangor, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.studiodl.com.my/">photographer</a>, conservationist and Green Tree co-founder <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/davidlok.sdl/">David Lok</a> has spent years personally funding a forest restoration initiative that brings together Orang Asli communities, conservationists and forestry authorities. He joins us to discuss the challenges and rewards of restoring a degraded landscape, what meaningful progress looks like over decades rather than years, and how a new exhibition of his works, Forest Speaks, is helping to support the effort.

Leading a Forest's Second Chance

As we mark World Oceans Day today Coral Triangle Day in June, it's worth remembering that Malaysia sits within one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth. Our waters are home to coral reefs, seagrass meadows, sea turtles, sharks, and countless other species that support fisheries, tourism, livelihoods, and coastal communities. But a new report suggests that many of these ecologically important areas overlap with active and proposed offshore oil and gas development. Produced by RimbaWatch with technical contributions from SkyTruth and support from the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, the report titled Reefs at Risk: Mapping Fossil Fuel Threats to Sensitive Marine Environments in Malaysia, presents the first comprehensive mapping of how Malaysia's offshore fossil fuel industry intersects with what it calls Sensitive Marine Environments. To discuss the findings and what they could mean for marine conservation, governance, and the energy transition, we're joined by Adam Farhan, Co-Founder and Director of RimbaWatch, and Angelina Dacanay, Southeast Asia Energy Transition Lead at the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED).


Image Credit: Inside Climate News

As we mark World Oceans Day today Coral Triangle Day in June, it's worth remembering that Malaysia sits within one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth. Our waters are home to coral reefs, seagrass meadows, sea turtles, sharks, and countless other species that support fisheries, tourism, livelihoods, and coastal communities. But a new report suggests that many of these ecologically important areas overlap with active and proposed offshore oil and gas development. Produced by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rimbawatchmy.com/">RimbaWatch</a> with technical contributions from SkyTruth and support from the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, the report titled <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oNHgpAXDEpLEdX1aPW22OpIc8M_QWowa">Reefs at Risk: Mapping Fossil Fuel Threats to Sensitive Marine Environments in Malaysia</a>, presents the first comprehensive mapping of how Malaysia's offshore fossil fuel industry intersects with what it calls Sensitive Marine Environments. To discuss the findings and what they could mean for marine conservation, governance, and the energy transition, we're joined by Adam Farhan, Co-Founder and Director of RimbaWatch, and Angelina Dacanay, Southeast Asia Energy Transition Lead at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ceedphilippines.com/">Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development</a> (CEED). Image Credit: Inside Climate News

Top Tips for Malaysian Ecotourism Road Trips

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