Conservation Grant 2018
Dr. Jo Leen Yap is a primatologist, wildlife researcher, environmental educator and the founder of Langur Project Penang (LPP). She holds a PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia majoring in zoology.
LPP is a research project studying the ecology and behaviour of Dusky Langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus) in Penang with the aim to motivate and inspire local community involvement in primate conservation and nature education. This project helps to educate the public to understand the challenges facing Penang’s captivating dusky langurs. LPP was featured in the BBC Earth documentary “Primates”. LPP is currently monitoring a pilot project involving the installation of an arboreal bridge for langurs to cross a busy road in Teluk Bahang.
Jo Leen has the vision to further bridge the gap between primate conservation and community engagement in Malaysia. With her enthusiasm, positive and creative mindset, Jo Leen is always on-the-go, thinking for the dusky langurs, for her team members, in order to sustain LPP as a long-term community science platform in Malaysia.
Conservation Grant 2019/2020
Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF) Society was established in 2011 to represent the community of concerned citizens and organisations that campaigned for its protection. KDCF is a remnant of lowland dipterocarp forest over 800 acres that was gazetted for protection in 2010. KDCF Society works closely with the Selangor Forestry Department through programmes to inspire people to connect with nature through recreation, nature appreciation, and voluntarism.
Conservation Grant 2019/2020
UBI is an independent social enterprise for urban ecology research, conservation and environmental education based at Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden, Universiti Malaya (UM). It started as the Rimba Project, a living lab for campus sustainability and urban biodiversity conservation but has now become the extension of the project. UBI is passionate about cultivating an appreciation for native plants which are a common part of the typical Malaysian landscape.
UBI started when Thary Gazi Goh and Benjamin Ong met as undergraduates of the Ecology and Biodiversity programme in Universiti Malaya. With over a decade of experience and education, they are excited about guiding a new generation of Backyard Explorers and implement projects that promote the rewilding of urban landscapes through education and community engagement.
Conservation Grant 2019/2020
Christina Lind-Hunter is the co-founder of Youth Environmental Changemakers, known as ‘GreenSmiths’. She is a PhD holder from the School of Education, University of Nottingham, Malaysia. Chrissy has worked over 13 years in leadership development and education. Through her involvement with Teach for Malaysia as the Associate Director for leadership, design and research, she has been on the frontline of addressing education inequity by placing high-potential leaders into underprivileged schools.
GreenSmiths is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that co-designs eco-engineering expeditions with partners and young people, working towards the vision of a future where empowered young people build a sustainable planet for all life on earth. GreenSmiths engages with 7-24 year old youth in northwestern Malaysia by facilitating in-school programs (primary and secondary schools) and project-based rainforest expeditions (16-24 years old).
Conservation Grant 2019/2020
Dr. Nur Munira Azman is the founder and project leader of Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project. Her interest on shorebirds sparked when she married Mohd Nasir Azizan who is a bird photographer specialising in shorebirds. He taught her how to identify shorebird species and that is when she found her passion in studying such amazing creatures.
SPMP was commenced by Dr. Nur Munira and her team from the School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2017 focusing on the monitoring of migratory shorebirds along Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda coast of mainland Penang which is an Important Bird Area (IBA). The team has recorded almost 60 species of shorebirds and waterbirds on the mudflat areas. The recent finding is the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill that was found in December 2021. It was the first record for Penang state and the second record for Peninsular Malaysia.
Conservation Grant 2019/2020
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Che Zalina Zulkifli is a Professor in the Computing Department of Sultan Idris (UPSI) Education University, Malaysia. She had over 23 years of professional teaching experience as a lecturer and active researcher in the Electronics & Electrical Engineering, IOT, Embedded System, and Wireless Sensor Network. Her research projects have been collaborated with multinational companies which contribute to a network that leads to new ideas and concrete research projects. She has up to 87 publications to date.
She designed the Economical Food Waste Composter (EFWC) to provide an efficient option to accelerate the transformation of food waste into compost atop Penang Hill. The EFWC has already been successfully trialled in selected schools and restaurants in Seberang Perai and George Town. It has received favourable reviews because of the ease of use and the cost-effective nature of the machines.
Spanning an area of around 500 hectares, in the northern region of Seberang Perai, lies one of the few remaining intact wetlands in Penang. The Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda (TAT-KM) Coast is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area (IBA) and part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Read More “Conserving the Migratory Shorebirds and Wetlands of Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda Coast”
The Habitat Foundation, together with the Tropical Rainforest Conservation Research Centre (TRCRC) and the Perak State Parks Corporation (PSPC), are piloting an innovative project engaging Jahai Orang Asli within Royal Belum State Park to establish native tree nurseries.
Read More “Developing Native Tree Nurseries With Local Jahai in Royal Belum State Park”
The Habitat Foundation is proud to provide a grant to the Malaysian Nature Society towards implementing a pilot initiative under its longstanding Hornbill Conservation Project to develop a community nursery that stocks hornbill (and other wildlife) resource plants and trees. The nurseries will be developed with Orang Asli from Kampung Chuweh in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex.
Read More “Hornbills and Orang Asli Communities – Farmers of the Forest”