Malaysia, home to the oldest rainforest in the world and one of the 12 mega-diversity countries, faces an empty-forest syndrome; its 130 million year old forests are being hollowed out by systematic poaching of valuable species.
The main reason for the current biodiversity extinction crisis is the ignorance and apathy of the public at large. It is too easy to blame the government for all the environmental and social ills while society at large remains extrinsic to the solution. The truth is that law enforcement alone cannot bring about the desired result unless society also “walks the talk” and reprimands its own misdemeanors and errant behavior. With 60% forest cover, Malaysia offers a unique opportunity to save many of the endangered species still found in the country.
With the Malayan Tiger as an umbrella species, the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT)* strives to save large expanses of living forests rich in biodiversity. Some of the most endangered mammals that will benefit from this project are: tiger, clouded leopard, dhole, Asian elephant, sambar deer, gaur, and serow.