PART II

Suggestion/Solution - State what others have done with regards to the issue (Malaysia and
overseas)

All species are interconnected. They depend on one another. Forest provide homes for
animals. Animal eat plants. The plants need healthy soil to grow. Fungi help decompose
organisms to fertilize the soil. Bees and other insects carry pollen from one plant to another that
enables them to reproduce. When biodiversity reduces, these connections weaken and might
break, harming all the species in the ecosystem. It is also proven that ecosystems with a variety
of biodiversity are generally stronger and have more resistant towards disasters.

There are multiple issues threatening our planet’s biodiversity. This ranges from climate
change, deforestation and habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species and pollution.
Throughout the years, the Earth’s ecosystem has been drastically downgraded due to the
decisions made by the irresponsible humans. One of the major factor for the loss of biodiversity
is that natural habitats are being destroyed. Lands are cleared to plant crops or build houses and
factories. As the habitats shrink in size, fewer individuals can live there.

Seen as a major ongoing issue, people all over the world are working hard to maintain the
planet’s diversity. New acts and enforcements are being implemented in order to create
awareness on the importance of biodiversity. Take United States as an example, the introduced
the Endangered Species Act that protects about 2000 organisms that are in danger of becoming
extinct. The most familiar types of endangered species are the animals and plants. However,
fungus, such as the white ferula mushroom, which is a delicacy as well as helping in decomposing
organic compound such as plants, can also be threatened with extinction. Therefore,
organizations are working hard to create a sustainable mushroom population to satisfy the
consumers together with the local ecosystem.

In addition to that, thousands of wilderness areas are set up to conserve plants, animals
and ecosystems. With the set up, they can control and maintain of what is left. This can’t be done
alone. Local, national and international organizations are cooperating to preserve the
biodiversity regions threatened by development or natural disasters. For example, UNESCO’S
World Heritage Site recognizes areas that are of global importance and do their best to protect
it. The National Park in the U.S. state of Montana, protects its biodiversity within the park by
restricting extractive activities, such as mining and drillings.

In addition to that, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), have long been established by
Australia to preserve their sea life. Only 4% of the world’s oceans are being protected and
preserved, and the vast majority of it is poorly managed, or not looked after at all. MPA ranges
from marine reserves, marine parks, ocean sanctuaries and no-take zones, to name a few. In the
marine protected area around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, no-fishing zones have helped fishes
thrive in populations. They also invested in efforts to limit pollution and restore the coral reef
ecosystems in the area. This is mainly done to improve the ecosystems and make it healthier,
thus increasing their biodiversity. In Malaysia, a total of 136 marine protected areas were
established Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

For Malaysia, the creation of Protected Areas (PAs), is one of the most effective measures
available to conserve biodiversity. However, it is important to know that it is not meant to be the
only solution to the decreasing biodiversity. They must be part of our country’s strategy for
sustainable management and wise use of natural resources, and must be planned accordingly.
This being said, efforts are restricted by the sector-based legislation and administrative setup.
Malaysia could definitely increase the extent of its Protected Areas, by assimilating and
coordinating sites that already set aside for long-term conservation by various bodies in the
Federal, State and Local levels. This way, the Protected Areas system can be increased almost
three times as many to an estimated 16.5% of Malaysia by investing efforts in an increase inter-
agency collaboration within line agencies of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
This is exceptionally impressive as it does not require gazetting new areas.

One of the most powerful tool implemented in Malaysia is the Local Agenda 21, which is
based on Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit. The aim of this initiative is to involve communities to
work towards sustainable development at a local level. While Malaysia has yet to implement a
National Agenda 21, the pilot Local Agenda 21 are undergoing in areas of Petaling Jaya, Krian,
Miri and Kuantan. They focused on the development of sustainable involving consultations with
local communities.

REFERENCES

1. Petronzio, M. (2015). 5 major threats to biodiversity, and how we can help to curb them.
Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2015/05/23/biodiversity-threats/#XGcK5A7ASZqB
2. Ruthledge, K., McDaniel, M., Boudreau, D., Ramroop, T., Teng, S., & et al. (2011).
National Geographic Society - Biodiversity. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biodiversity/
3. GreenFacts - Biodiversity and Human Well-being. Retrieved from
https://www.greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/l-3/3-extinction-endangered-
species.htm#0p0
4.