Latest news with #RimbaWatch
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘Greenwashing whitewashes environmental issues'
PETALING JAYA: 'It's not enough to plant trees and print green brochures,' say local environmentalists as World Environment Day is celebrated today across Malaysia and around the globe. While corporations champion sustainability in their marketing, activists say much of it amounts to greenwashing – public relations tactics designed to appear environmentally responsible without addressing the real damage being done. RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan said the disconnect is increasing. 'We're seeing companies promote 'sustainability' while simultaneously contributing to major environmental destruction,' he said. 'From so-called 'eco-homes' built on previously untouched forest land to fossil fuel giants declaring 'carbon neutrality' without any credible transition plans, this is deception (done) in plain sight.' He added that the issue lies in vague buzzwords such as 'eco-friendly', 'green' and 'sustainable' – terms that are often used on product packaging without any substantiation or standard. 'Generally, the more generic the claim, the less credible it is.' 'We've seen '1.5°C compliant' logos and so-called 'Green Certified' products that have no third-party verification.' RimbaWatch has also flagged timber companies for abusing weak certification systems. 'Logging concessions under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme have been involved in forest conversion and violations of indigenous rights, yet the timber is still marketed as 'sustainable'.' Even more concerning are fossil fuel companies promoting 'net zero by 2050' pledges, often backed by questionable carbon offset schemes. 'Most of these offsets are unverified and located overseas. It's not just greenwashing, it's environmental disinformation.' Malaysia currently lacks legal mechanisms to define or penalise greenwashing. In response, RimbaWatch has launched a Green Claims Guide and is urging the government to amend the Consumer Protection Act and introduce enforcement tools. 'Without proper regulation, companies will continue misleading the public with impunity,' he said. 'This isn't just a branding issue; it's an environmental justice issue. If we don't call it out, we're complicit.' Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) stated that many Malaysians mistakenly believe terms such as 'biodegradable' and 'compostable' imply guilt-free consumption. 'Biodegradable plastics are still plastic. They're single-use items that require industrial composting facilities, which Malaysia doesn't even have,' ZWM told theSun. Even 'home-compostable' products demand strict testing conditions and reliable collection systems, another infrastructure gap the country has yet to address. ZWM said the root of the problem is a lack of public understanding. 'Greenwashing spreads misinformation to build brand trust. People see a leaf logo or the word 'bio' and assume it's environmentally friendly. But that mindset fuels overconsumption and poor waste management.' ZWM added that recycling is another area rife with misconceptions. Only certain plastics – such as those used in water bottles, shampoo containers, and some food packaging – can be recycled. Most other items, including paper cups and snack wrappers typically end up in landfills. To combat the confusion, ZWM has launched Trash Encyclopaedia and quizzes to help Malaysians decode packaging labels. 'We've found major gaps in public awareness. That's why consumer education is so important.' Currently, MyHijau is the only green product certification system in Malaysia, managed by the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation. However, many products still carry unverifiable green claims with little to no oversight. ZWM is advocating extended producer responsibility laws to hold companies accountable throughout the entire lifecycle of a product. 'Malaysia needs stricter governance on terms like 'biodegradable' and 'bioplastics'.' The message is clear, focus less on labels and more on reducing consumption. 'There's no such thing as a perfect zero waste solution. But if you must consume, choose reusable, durable options and understand how your choices impact the planet.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Call for immediate halt to wildlife threatening projects
PETALING JAYA: The federal government has been urged to immediately halt road projects that threaten Malaysia's increasingly fragile wildlife populations and forest ecosystems. Environmental watchdog RimbaWatch has called for a stop to ongoing and proposed developments that cut through sensitive habitats, warning that they accelerate biodiversity loss. The call follows Sunday's tragic roadkill involving an elephant calf fatally struck by a lorry on the East-West Highway. Heart-wrenching footage showed an adult elephant, believed to be the calf's mother, standing guard over the body until she was sedated and relocated. RimbaWatch has tracked multiple road projects since 2020 that threaten ecologically sensitive areas. 'In 2022, two environmental impact assessments were approved for a 52km road from Pasir Raja, Terengganu to the Pahang border. 'The road will cut through the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve, a key habitat for endangered species such as the Malayan tiger, clouded leopard, marbled cat, Asian elephant and Malayan tapir. 'A similar concern was raised over a 2023 project to build a 15km road from Kampung Gagu to Ulu Beranang in Negeri Sembilan, which will cut through the Titiwangsa Range and the Gapau and Lenggeng Permanent Forest Reserves,' it said in a statement, warning that such projects threaten wildlife corridors, increase roadkill risks and cause long-term habitat damage. The group also highlighted that human-animal conflicts have already materialised from the expansion of roads into these two areas. In 2022, a tiger was spotted on a newly built road near Kg Mat Daling 3. In April 2025, a black panther mauled a lorry driver who had briefly stopped his vehicle by the roadside in Bukit Tangga, on an existing road which also dissects the Gapau and Lenggeng Forest Reserves. RimbaWatch said building highways through sensitive protected areas will inevitably lead to deforestation, disrupt wildlife movement and put endangered species at risk of roadkill, human-wildlife conflict and poaching. It also urged authorities to prioritise sustainable transport by improving public transit connectivity outside major cities, including reviving historical rail lines and utilising existing infrastructure corridors for new networks. 'We also question the effectiveness of constructing new highways through mountain ranges as a means to address connectivity issues. For example, the Kampung Gagu-Ulu Beranang road is parallel to an already existing road. 'Instead, in the past, smaller towns such as Kuala Sepetang, Port Dickson and Kuala Pilah were connected via rail, and this can provide an effective template to promote greater connectivity through establishing a safe, fast and affordable rail network outside cities.' Meanwhile, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad advocates creating ecological corridors to connect wildlife habitats, especially for elephants, including in plantations and forest areas. He also proposed building an elephant sanctuary covering at least 10,000ha and installing street lights at key elephant crossing points, highlighting the ongoing struggle between development and nature. A 2016 study showed that elephant habitats have shrunk by 68% due to land use for agriculture, plantations and infrastructure. From 2020 to 2024, the Wildlife and National Parks Department received 4,919 complaints of human-elephant conflict, with estimated property losses of RM39.4 million. In the last five years, eight elephants were killed in road crashes in Peninsular Malaysia, three of them this year.
New Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Stop building roads through forests, conservationists urge government
KUALA LUMPUR: A leading environmental think tank has called for an immediate halt to infrastructure projects cutting through sensitive ecosystems, following the tragic death of an elephant calf in a road accident on Mother's Day. RimbaWatch, which conducts research on climate and ecological issues across maritime Southeast Asia, urged the government to prioritise both people and planet by safeguarding forest integrity and investing in sustainable transport alternatives. "In order to protect Malaysia's remaining wildlife, the ecological integrity of our forests is key," it said in a statement today. On Sunday, an elephant calf was fatally struck by a lorry on the heavily forested Gerik-Jeli Highway. The incident, which occurred in the Belum-Temengor region, has reignited concern over the growing number of wildlife road deaths in Malaysia's ecologically sensitive areas. Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi said over the weekend that nearly 2,400 wild animals have been killed in road incidents since 2020 — including eight Asian elephants and five Malayan tigers. RimbaWatch also raised concerns about road projects approved since 2020 that cut through key wildlife habitats, including the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve and Negeri Sembilan's Lenggeng Forest Reserve. The group warned that these developments threaten endangered species such as the Malayan tiger and tapir, with sightings of tigers and black panthers already reported near newly constructed roads. In April 2025, a black panther mauled a lorry driver who had stopped by the roadside at Bukit Tangga, highlighting the increasing risk of human-wildlife conflict. RimbaWatch said that building highways through highly sensitive protected areas inevitably leads to deforestation, disrupts wildlife corridors, and exposes endangered species to roadkill, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.
Free Malaysia Today
13-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
RimbaWatch urges halt to road projects threatening wildlife habitats
RimbaWatch highlighted several road projects that will allegedly cut through the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve as well as the Titiwangsa Range through the Gapau and Lenggeng permanent forest reserves. (File pic) PETALING JAYA : An environmental watchdog has called for a halt to several projects that allegedly cut through sensitive wildlife habitats following the death of a baby elephant in a collision along the East-West Highway in Gerik, Perak, on Sunday. In a statement, RimbaWatch asked the government to immediately issue a permanent stop-work order for the road projects and other similar projects that would allegedly extend across sensitive ecosystems. It highlighted three environmental impact assessments: two approved by the department of environment in 2022, and another for road projects approved in 2023. It said that in 2022, approval was granted for the construction of Phase 3A of Jalan Kampung Pasir Raja in Hulu Dungun, as well as Zone A of Jalan Kampung Mat Daling in Jerantut, both leading to the Terengganu-Pahang border. It said these involved a 52km road which would cut through the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve, intended to be a core habitat for numerous wild cat species including the Malayan tiger, as well as other endangered species such as the Asian elephant and Malayan Tapir. 'The area has been protected under 'hutan perlindungan' status for some time, and RimbaWatch believes this to be a virgin forest which has never been logged before,' it said. The 2023 approval meanwhile was for a new road from Kampung Gagu in Ulu Beranang, Negeri Sembilan, involving a 15km road that would cut through the Titiwangsa Range through the Gapau and Lenggeng permanent forest reserves, it said. 'Human-animal conflict has already materialised from the expansion of roads into these areas. In 2022, a tiger was spotted on a newly-built road near Kampung Mat Daling. 'In April, a black panther mauled a lorry driver who had briefly stopped his vehicle by the roadside in Bukit Tangga, on an existing road which also dissects the Gapau and Lenggeng forest reserves,' RimbaWatch said. It said there was no way to build highways through highly sensitive protected areas without causing deforestation, severely hindering wildlife connectivity, and exposing endangered species to danger through roadkill, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching. 'We also question the effectiveness of constructing new highways through mountain ranges as a solution to connectivity issues. For example, the Kampung Gagu-Ulu Beranang road is parallel to an already existing road,' it added. The watchdog urged Putrajaya to instead improve public transport connectivity outside main cities, including by reviving historical rail lines and establishing new networks on, or adjacent to, existing infrastructural right of ways. It said that in the past, smaller towns such as Kuala Sepetang, Port Dickson, and Kuala Pilah had been connected via rail, which could provide an effective template to promote greater connectivity through establishing a safe, fast, and affordable rail network outside cities.
Malaysiakini
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
RimbaWatch wants total halt to road works threatening wildlife habitats
Environmental NGO RimbaWatch has urged the government to impose a stop-work order to permanently halt road projects which will cut through highly sensitive wildlife habitats. In particular, the organisation highlighted the environmental impact assessments (EIA) approved by the Environment Department in recent years for two separate projects.
