From left: Robert Basiuk, Datuk Dionysus Sharma, Dr Yap Jo Leen, Dr Chong Ju Lian, Natalie Yong and Dr Teckwyn Lim (All photos: Shahrill Basri/The Edge)
In May 2019, the last known Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia was officially declared dead, effectively making the species locally extinct. The 25-year-old specimen was a female named Iman. She succumbed to cancer on the island of Borneo, where she had been under careful watch and care since 2014.
The Sumatran rhino is only one of several native animals that have entered the critically endangered species list over the last few decades. Through poaching, trafficking and urbanisation, many of them are rapidly diminishing, much to the dismay of nature lovers and scientists around the world. It was these feelings of concern and passion that planted the seeds of the Biji Alam project, a non-profit and award scheme founded by charity trustee Natalie Yong and University of Nottingham lecturer Dr Teckwyn Lim that offers support and platforms to local conservationists.
The inaugural award ceremony took place at Temu House in Petaling Jaya, where two prizes of RM25,000 were handed out. The winners, short-listed from a line-up of self-applications, were carefully selected by three industry experts over the course of nearly six months. This year’s panel included the former head of WWF Malaysia Datuk Dionysus Sharma, head of Sabah Environmental Trust Dr Rahimatsah Amat and Robert Basiuk, co-founder of Batang Ai Conservancy in Sarawak and director of Borneo Adventure.
The first of the awardees to be announced was Dr Chong Ju Lian, an associate professor from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu whose life’s work is dedicated to protecting the Sunda pangolins from poaching and illegal trade. From the classroom where she guides the future generation of scientists to the field expeditions spent working with wildlife authorities, she is a leading figure not just among local circles, but is also the Southeast Asia co-chair for the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist group.
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Valued for their meat (which is falsely believed to have medicinal properties) as well as their scales, pangolins are among the lesser-recognised endangered animals, often overlooked by the general public. Chong notes that confronting how locals and even indigenous people view pangolins is as crucial as taking down black market traffickers. “The Orang Asli in Pahang believed that burning their scales will drive away elephants,” she says. “Pangolins don’t shed their scales. They have to be pulled out. That’s the cruelty of it.”
Next to be awarded was Dr Yap Jo Leen, a researcher, educator and founder of a primate conservation enterprise called Langur Project Penang. One of her most remarkable undertakings was the installation of two road canopy bridges in Penang. Suspended over busy roads, these overpasses facilitate safer crossing for local monkeys like dusky langurs and long-tailed macaques, though Yap adds that other animals like snakes have also found use for them.
An advocate for peaceful coexistence between humans and urban wildlife, Yap’s work is naturally highly focused on community engagement programmes that are carried out all over Malaysia. Through citizen science-based fieldwork, wherein she and her team guide the public on a journey to familiarise themselves with the flora and fauna in their own backyards and neighbourhoods, she hopes to equip more people with the knowledge to understand and better care for the animals around them. “We utilise science-based data collected from case studies and use it to create talks, materials and storytelling tools to reach people of all ages and backgrounds around the country,” she says. “The most important thing for us is to understand the elements in human-nature relationships, from communication and empathy to how our heritage and culture influence and affect how people see wildlife.”
This article first appeared on Dec 16, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
