Slowing down global environment collapse becomes a race for survival
IMAGINE living in a time when your child holds up an image of an elephant or a seal and asks you to describe them.
They ask, because they have never seen these animals in the flesh - not in the wild, or even in the zoos. This scenario may seem absurd now but without any conscientious intervention, the situation could become a reality very fast.
Extinction zone
By the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of species of flora and fauna had already become extinct. We lost the Tasmanian tiger, the Steller’s sea cow and the dodo, among many others that still face extinction today.
Our planet is currently home to about eight million species of plants and animals, but at the 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) forum, it was reported that over a million of these flora and fauna will face extinction in the coming decades – all because of one invasive species – humans.
Located in the wellness-oriented township of City of Elmina, ERKC is a pilot initiative that serves as a one-stop-centre for forestry research.
This highlights the importance of preserving biodiversity, which ensures constant clean air, fresh water, medicines and food security for all living creatures. It also controls spreading diseases and climate stability.
When biodiversity is affected, keystone species, which are pivotal for the ecosystem’s survival, become endangered.
When any of those become extinct, the absence will cause a domino effect that can alter ecosystems and cause irreversible impact on other species.
Getting warmer
Loss of biodiversity , especially in plant species, also raises global temperatures.
Warning signs tracked by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in 2020 reported more than 30% of tree species worldwide risk going extinct.
Such depletion, coupled with high carbon emissions from fossil-fuel burning, methane from livestock farming and other sources, are the main causes of global warming.
Scientists predict that the average global temperature rise may surpass the 1.5°C cap in six to 11 years, leading to holes forming in the ozone layer and rising sea levels.
Extreme weather patterns around the world will inevitably follow.
Stormy future
The resulting consequences hit close to home with devastating effects last December to January this year, when a westward travelling storm from the South China Sea swept through Peninsular Malaysia.
As a consequence, massive downpours in most states resulted in floods, even in urban areas.
In its wake, 55 Malaysians lost their lives (The Star, Mar 08, 2022), while over 50,000 more were displaced (Channel News Asia, Dec 20, 2021).
(From left) The Tasmanian tiger, the dodo and Steller’s sea cow (source: Extinct Monsters London, Chapman & Hall,1896) were all considered extinct by the turn of the 20th century.
Since 2015, there has been recorded flooding in Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu, with damages amounting to about RM400mil.
Flooding in these states have been linked to a loss of just over 10% of their forest cover from 2001 to 2012, among other reasons.
Without the forest cover to protect the top soil beneath and trees to soak up the rainfall, excess water collects in rivers, increasing the potential for floods in urban areas and cities.
The depleting forest cover, together with rising greenhouse gases, cause wild climate changes, with hotter, more extreme temperature variations. These directly affect agriculture and the world’s food supply.
Depleting food supply
With 35% of the world’s food resources dependent on animal pollination, there is a need to maintain this delicate balance for plant growth to occur.
Even small changes in biodiversity can impact food security, and if they affect keystone species, cause wider social inequality and rampant malnutrition.
Yet the 2019 IPBES report notes that there is still a chance we can avert this ill-fated event.
Urban biodiversity
In line with the United Nations (UN) Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), pioneering property developer, Sime Darby Property, has pledged itself to restore urban biodiversity with a comprehensive, stakeholder-centric 2030 Sustainability Goals aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
The UN Decade prevents degradation in ecosystems on every continent and ocean.
As a responsible corporate citizen and a ‘Force for Good’, the developer incorporates nature-based solutions within its townships and focuses on native tree-planting programmes and reforestation efforts in degraded landscapes.
These efforts help urban settings achieve functional ecosystems for wildlife and provide other ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and water catchment areas.
It has also teamed up with conservation specialists to conduct a biodiversity assessment and drive the inclusion of endangered, rare and threatened (ERT) tree species in its landscaping through a specialised native tree nursery.
It aims to transform green spaces within its townships and developments into a genetic store of ERT species and encourage wildlife to flourish alongside its inhabitants.
To further enhance this notion, Sime Darby Property partnered with non-governmental organisation Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre to establish the Elmina Rainforest Knowledge Centre (ERKC).
Located in the wellness-oriented township of City of Elmina, ERKC is a pilot initiative that serves as a one-stop-centre for forestry research, conservation, education and recreation, with an aim of becoming the “gateway to Malaysia’s natural heritage”.
The Elmina Living Collection Nursery, a tree nursery facility at ERKC, is expected to produce up to 100,000 ERT trees that will be transplanted across the City of Elmina and at other Sime Darby Property townships and developments.
It also hosts environmental educational workshops, seed collection drives, tree planting and other reforestation activities to enlighten the public on the importance of Malaysia’s rainforests.
Knowledge gained from research at ERKC, and the nearby forest park district, will provide information and knowledge to facilitate ERT tree conservation replication at other sites.
Other objectives include providing a space for students to undertake in-situ conservation and reforestation ecological research.
