Carolyn Khor's blog

  The “Orangutan Diplomacy” programme suggested in May has been revised with an in-situ approach. Plantation and commodities minister Johari Abdul Ghani said that the decision to shift from the initial plan was made after consulting various parties, such as NGOs and environmental activists. He said that while many parties accepted the idea of the ‘Orangutan Diplomacy’ proposal, a few were against it. “After discussions with stakeholders in the palm oil industry, an in-situ approach will be adopted, where all conservation activities will be carried out in their natural habitats, whether in forests or forest patches within palm oil plantations, known as High Conservation Value (HCV) areas. “It’s true, we should keep the orangutans in their natural habitat. We need to protect the orangutans,” he said during the launching of the World Orangutan Day in Sandakan yesterday. He said that the orangutans will be free to move about to forage and breed without any interference from humans, or

The tiger is often a symbol of strength, courage, and resilience. The most famous tigers are the hallmark logos of Maybank, the Johor Ta’zim Football Club’s logo, followed by the now discarded Proton logo of the Malayan tiger used between 2000 and 2008. Even so, people might wonder why Malayan tigers should be saved from extinction. After all, they are predatory animals that threaten humans when there is conflict. However, the role of the Malayan tiger in forest ecosystems cannot be overstated. As apex predators, they help maintain the balance of the ecosystem by controlling the population of herbivores, which in turn ensures the vegetation is not overgrazed. This balance is critical for the health of the forest, which supports a vast array of biodiversity. “A healthy tiger population indicates a healthy ecosystem,” said Harun Rahman, the Project Lead, who is also the husband of Lara, the president of RIMAU. “The Malayan tiger is a subspecies of tiger found in the tropical forests