Our Approach

Malaysia is a country blessed with extensive coverage of wetlands, ranging from coastal mangroves to inland peat swamp forests to mountainous rivers and lakes.  Wetlands are important ecosystems that provide a wide range of services and benefits including resilience to climate change, buffering against natural hazards such as floods and storms, water and food security and breeding grounds for many animal species. They play an important role in supporting the livelihood of local communities that live around them.They are also areas of significant spiritual and cultural importance as well as recreational activities.

In Malaysia, mangroves are found along coastal areas, river mouths, around islands and areas influenced by tides.   They act as a shield, protecting the land from strong waves and winds and control erosion. Besides this, they provide a source of revenue not only to the local communities but also for the country.  They also provide great scenery for recreational purpose.  By conserving and restoring these wetlands we help to protect the coastlines, protect the unique biodiversity that they support and ensure that the livelihood of the local communities is sustained.

For many people, peatlands may seem like impenetrable, useless, stinky swamp areas infested with mosquitoes. However the opposite is true. Although they seem useless they serve a very important purpose to humans as well as nature. Peatlands are formed from dead plant materials accumulated over thousands of years in waterlogged or saturated conditions and are incredibly old ecosystems that provide a host of services to the environment and society.

Wetlands such as rivers, swamps and lakes play a critical role in supplying and regulating the quantity and quality of water. With water related issues such as water scarcity, droughts and floods increasing globally, conserving and restoring wetlands is a cost-effective investment strategy to increase water security. The challenge is ensuring sustainable development while safeguarding vulnerable communities at risk from water-related disasters.