WWF-Malaysia

49, Jalan SS23/15, Taman SEA,

47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor,
Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 7803 3772
Fax: +60 3 7803 5157
E-mail: wwfmal@wwf.org.my
Website: www.wwf.org.my

CLIMATE CHANGE AND WWF-MALAYSIA

Climate change is considered to be one of the biggest threats facing nature and humanity today. It is an
undeniable, pervasive, and insidious planetary crisis that affects every aspect of our lives and future. In
order to avoid the devastating effects of climate change, global warming should stay well below a 2
Celsius increase compared to pre-industrial temperatures. To attain this objective, global greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions need to be cut by at least 50 per cent in the coming decades.

WWF-Malaysia is taking action to help reduce the impacts of climate change by:

Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) through the WWF Forest-
Based Carbon Network Initiative

Deforestation is responsible for 20% of the total global GHG emissions, and for significant ecosystem and
species loss. If emissions from deforestation are not curbed, the likelihood of success in preventing the
dangerous effects of climate change is drastically reduced.

The causes of deforestation are wide ranging, and vary by country and region. They include agricultural
expansion, infrastructure development and unsustainable forest management, driven by population
pressures and aggravated by poor governance and inadequate land-use planning. Governments and the
wide range of stakeholders must be effectively influenced to reduce these threats.

The Forest-Based Carbon Network Initiative will lead this effort by working to set a new framework, within
which the diverse drivers of deforestation can be addressed with new urgency. This initiative will
spearhead efforts to reduce forest-based emissions through a focus on carbon emissions and carbon
funding, while recognizing the long term imperative to address the root causes of deforestation at the
national level and to raise the value of all the ecosystem services that forests afford. It will work to re-
orient both public and private sector policies towards reducing emissions from forests, providing concrete
financial incentives to do so.

Through this initiative, supplemented by other non-carbon financed mechanisms, it is hoped that there
will be no net GHG emissions from deforestation and degradation by the year 2020.

Implementing climate change adaptation measures for the marine environment through the
WWF Coral Triangle Network Initiative

Scientists have identified an area called the Coral Triangle within the Indo-Pacific its boundaries
defined by marine zones containing more than 500 species of reef-building coral. This triangular shaped
region covers all or part of the seas of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

Patron: DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Azlan Shah
President: Tan Sri Razali Ismail
Vice-Presidents Emeritus: Mr Ken Scriven, Dato Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin
Chairman: Tan Sri Dato Ir Shahrizaila Abdullah
Treasurer: Ms Yip Jian Lee Legal Advisor: Mr Loong Caesar
Trustees: Professor Dato' Dr Abdul Latiff Mohamed, Mr Chong Chiew Yin, Dato Faridah Merican,
Mrs Angela Hijjas, Ms Kate Lim, Dato Murad Hashim, Dato' Nazir Ariff,
Ms Caroline Russell, Dato Sri Haji Safri Awang Zaidell, Ms Rosemary Tan
Executive Director/CEO: Dr Dionysius S.K. Sharma

Donations to WWF-Malaysia are tax-deductible

Registered as: WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund For Nature Malaysia)
The Coral Triangle is the worlds epicenter of marine life abundance and diversity. Indeed, this
abundance of marine life and the levels of coral, fish, and other species diversity are so high that the
region is sometimes referred to as the Amazon of the Seas.

Sadly, this remarkable coral reef ecosystem has been under tremendous pressure from over-exploitation.
The impact of climate change has aggravated the situation even moreseen most dramatically in coral
bleaching events around the planet. Global warming due to climate change is arguably the single biggest
threat that may cause the collapse of this significant marine environment. Coral bleaching, caused by
increased ocean temperatures, poses a major threat to coral reefs, affecting not only marine biodiversity
but also millions of people whose lives depend on the reefs for food and income.

Under the Coral Triangle initiative, WWF is working to help reduce the impacts of climate change on the
regions marine biodiversity by protecting areas that are more naturally resilient and resistant to coral
bleaching and thereby improving their chances of being able to adapt to warming conditions. We are
seeking alliances with governments and the regions travel and tourism industry to actively support and
implement climate change adaptation measures. These include establishing marine protected area
networks that are resilient to climate change impacts and developing alternative livelihoods for local
communities to help eradicate destructive blast fishing and cyanide fishing and reduce the pressure of
overfishing and unregulated tourism.

Through this initiative it is hoped that governments commit to reducing GHG emissions and that the travel
and tourism industry, which relies on healthy reefs, supports networks of robust and resilient marine
protected areas.

Working with Business & Industry (B&I) to help reduce CO2 emission

WWF believes that B&I are crucial partners for conservation and that corporate engagement is key to
fighting and mitigating climate change. WWF-Malaysia recognises the important role of B&I as catalysts
for reducing CO2 emission and may at best become part of the solution to CO2 reduction. WWF aims to
engage with B&I in working towards changing practices as a response to climate change.

Building adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of natural eco-systems against the
impacts of climate change

WWF-Malayia acknowledges that some level of climate change is inevitable irrespective of CO2 emission
reduction strategies. This inevitability is reflected in the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) in their 2001 Assessment Report that adaptation is now a necessary strategy to
complement emission mitigation efforts. In recognition of this, WWF-Malaysia will advocate that the
Malaysian Government develops a national framework for climate change adaptation strategies and will
strive to embed appropriate strategies within its target land and seascapes.