Malaysia is the twelfth richest mega-centre for biodiversity in the world, and we have over 185,000 species of animal species and 15,000 species of flowering plants (EPU, 1993). Unfortunately, our biodiversity is under threat and many Malaysia flora and animals are listed under the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Data list. Malaysia tops the list under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. To address this issue, we have embarked on a national initiative to list flora and fauna species according to IUCN guidelines.

Our work on species protection is explicitly linked with our work in habitat conservation. For example, our hornbill project ultimately seeks the protection of the Belum-Temengor area as does our work with MYCAT on tigers. Species protection is the key to advocating the conservation of these habitats as it will allow for flora and fauna to thrive in their natural environment.

MNS’ efforts in species protection are focused on sites where our successes can easily translate into meaningful changes to the Malaysian mindset, attitude and commitment toward using our natural resources wisely. Our projects range from work with marine life, birds, insects, plants, and large mammals. The following is a list of our significant projects: