Cover Dr Kae Kawanishi, Dr Alison Wee, Dr Yasmin Rasyid and more eco-warriors to know this Earth Day 2024
Dr Kae Kawanishi, Dr Alison Wee, Dr Yasmin Rasyid and more eco-warriors to know this Earth Day 2024
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This Earth Day, we look at the ladies who have devoted their lives to championing sustainability and conservation efforts in Malaysia, from biologists to chemists
Globally, climate activists are lobbying for reforms that will ultimately serve to preserve and protect our natural environment–their long-term efforts highlighted more prominently around special dates like Earth Day, World Environment Day, and others.
Even in our own backyard, several individuals are working tirelessly behind-the-scenes and doing their part to increase awareness on eco-friendly ways of living as well as calling for an end to harmful practices that contribute to pollution in the nation.
See also: Think City’s Hamdan Majeed on our pathway to sustainability
From local celebrities highlighting sustainability issues to the incredible story of Kuala Langat-based chemist and environmentalist Lay Peng Pua, who was featured on the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 2021 segment on plastic pollution, here are seven inspiring women in Malaysia who doing their part to champion a greener future for Malaysia.
Dr Ravinder Kaur
A wildlife biologist, Kaur is the scientific director and co-founder of Explore Gaia, a social enterprise dedicated to hornbill conservation in Borneo. Working closely with local NGO HUTAN/KOCP and its partners, Kaur’s Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary project pioneered the instalment of artificial nest boxes, which were successfully used by three different hornbills species.
She is a member of the Helmeted Hornbill Working Group, with 15 years of experience working with helmeted hornbills, an endangered bird species in Malaysia. Kaur also has plans to work alongside other ecologists and activists to create a female coalition in Malaysia that champions conservation. In 2020, Kaur was awarded the Marsh Award for Terrestrial Conservation Leadership for her efforts.
More: Serina Hijjas and Hijjas Kasturi on their shared passion for sustainable design
Yasmin Rasyid
Above Marine biologist and sustainability scientist Dr Yasmin Rasyid founded an NGO called EcoKnights (Photo: All is Amazing)
Marine biologist and sustainability scientist Dr Yasmin Rasyid founded an NGO called EcoKnights (Photo: All is Amazing)
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A marine biologist and sustainability scientist, Dr Yasmin Rasyid founded an NGO called EcoKnights which is known for its effective community sustainability initiatives. Currently the general manager at Sime Darby Property, she was appointed chairman of The Malaysia Forest Fund in 2024, a government agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability that oversees the implementation of forest projects in Malaysia.
Related: Dr Yasmin Rasyid wants to inspire the youth to act on the climate crisis
Baida Hercus
Above Free Tree Society founder Baida Hercus is on a mission to promote greater appreciation of biodiversity among urbanites
Free Tree Society founder Baida Hercus is on a mission to promote greater appreciation of biodiversity among urbanites
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Sabah-born Hercus founded the Free Tree Society in 2012 in a mission to promote a greater love and appreciation of biodiversity in the city while helping more Malaysian urbanites embrace gardening and its benefits to the environment.
Despite the nationwide lockdown in 2020, the Free Tree Society worked tirelessly to plant over 400 native trees and other plants along the Pulai trail at Federal Hill. Sustainability plays a central part of Hercus’ daily life, from rainwater harvesting to growing her own coffee beans.
Now read: A tranquil eco-friendly home for a young family in Malaysia
Pua Lay Peng
A chemist and member of the Kuala Langat Environmental Action Group (Persatuan Tindakan Alam Sekitar Kuala Langat), Pua is an outspoken activist who led a community response to the plastic pollution that was plaguing her hometown of Jenjarom. Pua and her team were instrumental in spreading awareness about the illegal plastic waste dumpsites which caused air and water pollution in her town. Thanks to the Kuala Langat Environmental Action Group’s efforts, more than 300 illegal facilities responsible for burning and dumping plastic waste were closed.
Related: 4 Things You Didn't Know About Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve
The inspiring story of her grassroots activism has been covered on international media platforms such as HuffPost and the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver show, and she was selected by Greenpeace to travel to New Zealand in 2018 to meet New Zealand’s former Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage.
Lara Ariffin
Above Lara Ariffin with Selangor prince Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at FRIM in 2019 (Photo: @rimau_ngo/Instagram)
Lara Ariffin with Selangor prince Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at FRIM in 2019 (Photo: @rimau_ngo/Instagram)
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Lara Ariffin is the president of Rimau (Tiger Protection Society of Malaysia), an NGO that works for the preservation of the Malayan Tiger, a species that’s unique to Peninsular Malaysia. Together with her husband Harun Rahman in collaboration with Yayasan Sime Darby, Lara produced a documentary series called Layar Liar that explores the beauty of Malaysia's wildlife and the efforts of those who aim to preserve it.
With the support of corporate partners like Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad and other donors, Rimau currently manages 85 patrollers across the Royal Belum State Park and Amanjaya Forest Reserve in Perak.
Related: How This Ecologist Is Using Technology To Preserve Malaysia's Rainforests
Alison Wee
Above Dr Alison Wee in Columbia for the MMM6 Colombia conference in July 2023
Dr Alison Wee in Columbia for the MMM6 Colombia conference in July 2023
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A recipient of the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2022, molecular ecologist Dr Alison Wee’s conservation research uses metabarcoding, a non-destructive method of monitoring coastal biodiversity to detect overfishing and pollution in mangrove swamps.
The assistant professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences hails from Penang, devoting much of her life’s work to research that will help save fishery species from becoming extinct in Malaysia’s unique marine biodiversity.
Dr Kae Kawanishi
Above Dr Kae Kawanishi giving a keynote speech at ‘Save the Malayan Tiger’ fundraising dinner by Cicada Tree Eco-Place
Dr Kae Kawanishi giving a keynote speech at ‘Save the Malayan Tiger’ fundraising dinner by Cicada Tree Eco-Place
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Realising a gap between government and NGO efforts in tiger conservation in Malaysia, Osaka-born Dr Kae Kawanishi co-founded the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) working towards the recovery of the Malayan Tiger. In the late 1990s, she conducted the first scientific study of tiger ecology in Malaysia, discovering the largest tiger population in mainland Southeast Asia in Taman Negara National Park. MYCAT is dedicated to educating and engaging members of the public and local communities through the Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT) program.
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
