Exercise 1: Research_Rihanna Maleeka Arianna Dharan 0139291

 Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)

1. What is Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)?

MNS is Malaysia’s oldest environmental NGO. It was founded in 1940 by British expatriates to publish the Malayan Nature Journal Volume. Over the decades, MNS has transformed from a nature appreciation society into a national environmental conservation organisation. They work to protect Malaysia’s natural heritage such as forests, rivers, and endangered species.

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d.)

 

2. How has MNS evolved over time?

MNS started out as a small scientific journal group of British expatriates with a main goal of publishing the ‘Malayan Nature Journal’ that documents Malaysia’s unique biodiversity. Then, they evolved from a scientific publication group into a nationally recognised environmental NGO with a long history and good reputation, alongside major accomplishments with Malaysia’s most influential campaigns.

(Refer to source in question 1)

3. What sustainable development goals (SDG) represent MNS?

• SDG 4 Quality education:  MNS provides educational programs such as School Nature Club (KPA) and ‘Natural Classroom’ which raises awareness about environmental importance

• SDG 13 Climate action: MNS conservation programs aims to tackle climate change such as their forest planting program

• SDG 14 Life on water: MNS conservation programs such as mangrove planting program  aims to restore marine biodiversity

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d.; United Nations, n.d.)

4. What is the vision and mission of MNS?

Their vision is for Malaysia’s natural heritage and vast biodiversity to be protected, managed and conserved. Their mission is to encourage the preservation of Malaysia’s natural heritage. (Refer to source in question 1)

5. How does MNS engage in conservation?

MNS engages in conservation by going on scientific expeditions, CSR campaigns, advocating policy with the government, establishing and managing parks, and protection of endangered species.

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d.; Merdeka Award, 2008)

6. What environmental education initiatives does MNS run?

MNS runs a school nature club called Kelab Pencinta Alam (KPA),and an online environmental webinar called the Natural Classroom.

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d.; Malaysiakini, 2020)

7. What are MNS most notable accomplishments?

Their greatest accomplishment is saving Endau-Rompin Forest, because it was their longest running campaign from 1977-1993 (16 years) which directly led to the gazettement of Endau-Rompin national park, one of the oldest rainforests in the world, after continuous advocacy and research which captured massive media attention.

(Refer to source in question 1)

8. What are the strengths of MNS?

MNS have major accomplishments and awards with credible reputation and long history, and large membership and volunteer base.

(Refer to source in question 1)

9. What are the weaknesses of MNS?

MNS have limited full-time staff which limits their ability to manage more conservation sites. The limited capacity restricts them to scale-up operations and also face challenges in resource allocation. They heavily rely on volunteers which aren’t consistent in terms of availability and commitment.

(JobStreet, n.d.)

10. What opportunities do MNS provide?

MNS provides CSR and ESG trends such as mangrove nursery program, wildlife program, forest planting program, etc. These programs allow volunteers and also companies for hands-on environmental conservation initiatives. This helps companies and organisations meet their sustainability target.

(Refer to source in question 1)

11. What threats does MNS face?

Malaysia’s continuous and ongoing deforestation is a constant threat that MNS faces as it undermines MNS’s conservation efforts and makes them struggle to keep up. Rising temperatures and climate change also impacts the ecosystem that MNS are trying to protect which makes their work more urgent and complicated.

(Conservation Allies, n.d.)

12. What are recent MNS campaigns that were led in the past 2 years?

MNS recently had a Selangor branch open day on the 14th of June, 2025. The aim of it was to spread knowledge and awareness on the study of reptiles and amphibians, citizen science, and freshwater species conservation. It had interactive booths, expert talks, and nature walk activities that engaged the public in scientific learning of lesser known wildlife.

(Refer to source in question 1)

13. What is the MNS core cause?

The core cause of MNS is the conservation of Malaysia’s rich biodiversity and heritage. They aim to protect threatened ecosystems by conducting scientific research, influence environmental policy, educate and spread awareness to the public, and manage protected areas.

(Refer to source in question 1)

14. Does MNS collaborate with international organisations and how does it strengthen their mission?

MNS collaborates with BirdLife International and is a key partner of them. They are a global organisation focused on protecting birds, their habitats, and diversity.  MNS serves as BirdLife’s official partner in Malaysia to help align the local conservation work with helpful global strategies. Because of the partnership, MNS contributes to the IBA program that identifies and protects important sites for bird conservation. It strengthens MNS mission as it increases their access to funding, data collection, and increases scientific credibility.

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d.; My Forest Watch, n.d.; 4 Nature Lah, n.d.)

15. What leadership succession plan does MNS have to maintain their sustainability?

The MNS branches elect the volunteer committees for 2 year terms and maintain Special Interest Groups (SIG). This administrative structure ensures responsibility and 

(MNS Selangor Branch, n.d.)

16. How has MNS influenced national environmental policy in Malaysia?

With the work of the Secretariat with federal and state agencies, they play an active role in policy advocacy. Taman Negara and Endau-Rompin are examples of their success where their work contributed to the protection of the sites due to engaging with the government. They participate in multilateral environmental agreements (MEA) such as CBD, RAMSAR, and UNCCD.

(Refer to source in question 1)

17. What digital tools does MNS use?

MNS uses digital platforms such as iNaturalists for community biodiversity recording such as Fungi surveys or MycoBlitz. It is a way to connect as a community and share knowledge and data collection. It is a way to have personal interaction and it is engaging.

(MNS mycology SIG, 2024)

18. How does MNS measure the success of its conservation programmes and campaign?

MNS uses social metrics such as petition signatures like Belum Temengor to evaluate programme impact. They also monitor the number of visitors on their official website 24/7 to see how widespread attention they garner each day.

(Malaysian Nature Society, n.d. D&AD, 2011)

19. What role does MNS play in citizen science and how does it aid conservation?

MNS branches and Special interest groups conduct surveys and use iNaturalist to collect data to monitor biodiversity trends, better conservation decision making.

(Refer to source in question 17)

20. What challenges does MNS face when balancing conservation and economic development?

MNS faces challenges when they must constantly negotiate between the environmental goals and the pressure from plantations, mining, urbanization etc. These activities get in the way of conservation where state governments may prioritize economic projects over biodiversity.

(Refer to source in question 11)

21. How does MNS maintain volunteer engagement and organisation continuity despite limited staff?

MNS heavily relies on volunteers for its programs and events. To ensure long-term engagement from volunteers, MNS uses its branch committees and leadership roles. They offer training programs, workshops, and citizen science participation. MNS also has structured programs such as School Nature Club (KPA) that allow continuous involvement.

(Refer to source in question 1)

22. How does MNS maintain their scientific integrity despite limited funding and resources?

MNS maintains their scientific integrity by collaborating with academic institutions, government agencies and international partners like BirdLife International.

(BirdLife International, n.d.)

Reflection
When conducting my research on the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), the process had both insightful and also limiting aspects to it. Positively, the official website for MNS is very detailed which provided me with a wide range of accessible information through it, such as its organisation’s missions, campaigns, milestones etc. This made the research convenient. However, I realised that I relied too much on the official website as a main source of reference instead of researching more third parties. Even Though, the official website is credible, my over dependence on it may have possibly limited the diversity and depth of research perspective. Another challenging obstacle is the citation as personally I do not like doing citations so it was hard for me to overcome my procrastination and boredom. 

Reference

Anon, (n.d.). Malaysian Nature Society. [online] Available at: https://mns.my/.

BirdLife International. (2021). Malaysia - Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). [online] Available at: https://www.birdlife.org/partners/malaysia-malaysian-nature-society-mns/.

Branch, M.S. (2023). About. [online] Mnsselangorbranch.org. Available at: https://www.mnsselangorbranch.org/p/about-us.html 

Conservation Allies. (2025). Malaysian Nature Society - Conservation Allies. [online] Available at: https://conservationallies.org/partners/malaysian-nature-society/ 

Dandad.org. (2025). Belum Petition Campaign | Grey Group Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) | D&AD Awards 2011 Pencil Winner | Direct Response/Press & Poster | D&AD. [online] Available at: https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2011/direct/18400/belum-petition-campaign/ 

Jobstreet. (2019). Working at Malaysian Nature Society company profile and information | JobStreet. [online] Available at: https://my.jobstreet.com/companies/malaysian-nature-society-168557293689329 

LEND A HAND. (2019). IMPORTANT BIRD AND BIODIVERSITY AREA (IBA) FOCUS. [online] Available at: https://4naturelah.weebly.com/malaysian-naturalist/important-bird-and-biodiversity-area-iba-focus

Merdekaaward.my. (2022). Malaysian Nature Society - 2008. [online] Available at: https://www.merdekaaward.my/past-recipients/for-the-awards/2008/malaysian-nature-society 

MY Forest Watch. (2021). Playing host to BirdLife guests. [online] Available at: https://myforestwatch.weebly.com/training-meetings/playing-host-to-birdlife-guests 

Pallante, J. (2024). Setia Alam Community Forest iNaturalist MycoBlitz - Sept. 29th, 2024. [online] Mnsselangorbranch.org. Available at: https://mycology.mnsselangorbranch.org/2024/09/setia-alam-community-forest-inaturalist.html 

superadmin (2025). Invitation to MNS Selangor Branch Open Day, 14 June 2025, Taman Tugu, 8am-1pm. [online] MNS | Malaysian Nature Society | Persatuan Pencinta Alam Malaysia. Available at: https://mns.my/invitation-to-mns-selangor-branch-open-day-14-june-2025-taman-tugu-8am-1pm/ 

Team, M. (2020). Malaysian Nature Society launches online environmental classroom. [online] Malaysiakini. Available at: https://www.malaysiakini.com/announcement/531530 

United Nations (2023). Sustainable Development Goals. [online] United Nations Sustainable Development. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.