/tmp/ehaly.jpg 2021 – The Habitat Foundation

SMART-Effective Food Waste Composter Pilot Project for Penang Hill

Continuing the sustainability initiative by the Foundation which started last year, the Effective Food Waste Composter (EFWC) developed by Professor Dr. Che Zalina from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) has now been installed at The Habitat Penang Hill, where the machine is monitored by the staff.

Read more: SMART-Effective Food Waste Composter Pilot Project for Penang Hill

Currently, the brown waste such as leaves, twigs and coffee ground and the green waste such as egg shells, fruit and vegetable peels are collected from the Penang Hill park, the staff working at The Habitat and some nearby food vendors. Thus far, two batches of composts, rich in nutrients, were produced with the machine.

The process of composting has gone through a few rounds of trials. Our team has provided some feedback to Prof Dr Zalina on the functionality of the prototype and the quality of the composts produced. Meanwhile, the staff are working diligently on obtaining the ideal proportion of the brown and green waste to yield compost, with the ideal humidity and texture, regularly.

Green Waste collected for composting.

Once the process is streamlined, The Habitat aims to expand our waste collection to the residential community around Penang Hill as well as other stakeholders on the hill.

Diversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies on Penang Island

The Habitat Foundation is pleased to support a research on the diversity of dragonflies and damselflies through our 2021 Research Grant. Dragonflies and damselflies are categorized under the order of Odonata and they are one of the least known species of Penang Island. This study aims to document the diversity of Odonata within the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve and to produce an Odonata species list for the Biosphere Reserve.

Read More “Diversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies on Penang Island”

Hornbills and Orang Asli Communities – Farmers of the Forest

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”

Advancing research in the proposed Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve

The forests of Penang Hill offer exceptional opportunities for ecosystem and sustainability studies. Here you will find an unbroken swathe of pristine yet accessible ecosystems from the hill and lower montane forests, to coastal mangroves and lowland forests, contained within Penang National Park. In 2019/2020 the Foundation provided Research Grants towards studies to describe the diversity of cyanobacteria, wild edible and medicinal fungi, and the endemic Penang Hill Vampire Crab.

In 2021, we are continuing to provide Research Grants that would firmly establish the proposed Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve as an international centre for rainforest research & teaching.: Advancing research in the proposed Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve