(From left) Yong, Nur Munira, Nurzhafarina, conservationist Tan Boon Hua of Friends of Bukit Kiara and Lim. — Courtesy photo
TWO local environmentalists won the Outstanding Malaysian Nature Conservationist Award 2025, each receiving RM35,000 for their pioneering work.
The Biji Alam Awards recognised Dr Nur Munira Azman, founder of the Shorebirds Peninsular Malaysia Project (SPMP) operating in Penang, and Dr Nurzhafarina Othman, founder of Sabah-based Seratu Aatai, which is dedicated to protecting Bornean elephants.
A special project grant of RM10,000 was also awarded to Friends of Bukit Kiara for their work to protect the Bukit Kiara Federal Park in Kuala Lumpur.
The grant will partially fund a biodiversity survey to support an innovative application to planning authorities, aiming to create a green buffer zone that expands wildlife protection beyond the park’s periphery.
Established in 2024, the Biji Alam Awards are spearheaded by a group of concerned Malaysians and environmental experts to create a platform that supports and recognises the exemplary work of Malaysia’s mid-career conservationists.
“Our role is to help channel donations to people and projects who will make the most effective impact with the funds and, at the same time, celebrate the conservationists who benefit us all,” said Biji Alam co-founder Natalie Yong at the awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
SPMP is an independent, volunteer-led group dedicated to the conservation of migratory shorebirds in Malaysia.
Nur Munira and her team work primarily along the Teluk Air Tawar–Kuala Muda (TAT-KM) coast in Seberang Perai, a critical wintering site along the recognised East Asian–Australasian flyway.
This route is used by an estimated 50 million birds migrating annually from Alaska to New Zealand, relying on stopover sites like TAT-KM to feed and rest.
The coastal wetlands and mangrove forest also provide habitat for otters, monkeys, crabs and serve as a nursery for fish and other marine life.
The Biji Alam award will fund SPMP’s continued shorebird monitoring and data collection, outreach events and eco-tourism workshops for the local fishing community, supporting an application to have TAT-KM officially recognised as a flyway site.
“The fearless spirit of migrating shorebirds – that’s the spirit that lives in me,” said Nur Munira.
Seratu Aatai, meanwhile, focuses on human coexistence with Bornean elephants, whose population numbers fewer than 1,500 animals.
In the stronghold of Lower Kinabatangan, where 250 elephants live, only 10% of forest cover remains due to plantation expansion.
“This closeness brings challenges, but also opportunities to create new ways of living together,” said Nurzhafarina.
“Protecting elephants is about ensuring that people and wildlife can share the same landscapes in harmony.”
Seratu Aatai works directly with communities, farmers and plantation workers to promote understanding of elephant behaviour through education, dialogue and practical science-based solutions.
The award will help expand training programmes on elephant behaviour and safety during encounters, crucial groundwork for better cooperation with palm oil firms.
The judging panel for the 2025 competition included three external experts – Datuk Dionysius Sharma, a former head of WWF Malaysia, Dr Rahimatsah Amat, head of the Sabah Environment Trust, and Robert Basiuk, a co-founder of Batang Ai Conservancy, Sarawak, alongside Yong and Biji Alam co-founder Dr Teckwyn Lim.
This year, the awards received 15 applications from conservationists working to protect mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds, as well as habitats, including limestone karst, coastal wetlands and urban forests.
