WWF-Malaysia strives to provide a better understanding about the importance of freshwater ecosystems and resources, as well as to promote their protection and improved management for nature and people.
The two key landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia where WWF-Malaysia currently undertakes freshwater conservation efforts are the Klang Valley (encompassing Selangor and Kuala Lumpur) and the Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu.
Klang valley
Malaysia currently has amongst the lowest water bill rates worldwide. There is a lot of work that goes behind the scenes to produce a drop of treated water, yet this limited resource is usually wasted since treated water is provided for cheap in our country.
Some of the major threats to the rivers in the Klang Valley are:
• Lack of awareness and sense of responsibility ― urban communities do not have a close connection with rivers and therefore fail to realise that their water supply actually comes from rivers.
• Pollution ― improper solid waste disposal is a main contributor to this problem. Leachate, formed when waste deposited in landfills breaks down is highly toxic and it may seep into the ground causing contamination of groundwater which eventually finds its way into our rivers.
As rivers carry solid waste from inland to the sea, they serve as conduits of trash from towns and cities to the marine environment.
We currently work closely with several water-related agencies to educate domestic and commercial water users in Klang Valley on the origins of water and the consequences of pollution as well as efficient water consumption.
Some of our initiatives includes:
• Journey of Water ― to educate the public about where our water comes from and the connection between forest-rivers and water.
• Water Quest ― an adventure-based activity that educates participants on the important facts of water and promotes actions to conserve water.
• Collaboration with schools ― to promote efficient water consumption through usage of water-saving devices and water conservation campaigns.
setiu wetlands
Located in Terengganu, the scenic Setiu Wetlands is home to what is possibly the last globally viable population of the Critically Endangered painted terrapins (Batagur borneoensis).
The wetlands comprise a diverse array of inter-connected freshwater, brackish and coastal ecosystems, such as:
• Rivers
• Lagoons
• Mangrove forest
• Melaleuca forest
• Peat swamp forest
Amongst others, the communities depend on Setiu Wetlands as nursery grounds for fish and bivalves. The wetlands also provides natural resources to supplement the local communities’ income such as materials for handicrafts and through fisheries activities.
However, more intensified clearing, fragmentation and loss of mangroves and Melaleuca forest are happening as the result of unsustainable land-use changes in the Setiu Wetlands, particularly for aquaculture and infrastructure development to facilitate fisheries activities and navigation.
We work closely with government agencies, educational institutions and local communities to advocate for the protection and the sustainable management of Setiu Wetlands.
Other activities that we regularly carry out are:
• Conducting various conservation fieldwork including studying the presence of animals in the forests using camera traps, water quality monitoring and plant inventories.
• Organising awareness and outreach activities such as mangrove replanting and plogging.
• Supporting community-based organisations such as PEWANIS and KPW, which are local women groups in Kg. Mangkok and Kg. Beris Tok Ku.
• Night beach patrolling in June to September every year to collect painted terrapin eggs and transport them to our hatchery
• Conducting education programmes with schools such as wetlands camps.