Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies public lecture: “The politics of biodiversity loss: International responses & Malaysia” with Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid

Humanity depends entirely on biodiversity for our survival. Yet, over the last half-century, biodiversity has been lost at a catastrophic rate. According to a 2019 assessment by the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES), one million species of plants and animals are under threat of extinction.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services are declining at an unprecedented rate: one out of every eight birds, one out of every four mammals, and one out of every three amphibians are threatened with extinction. Some 75% of genetic diversity of agriculture crops has been lost and three quarters of world fisheries are fully or over exploited.

Malaysia is stuck in between the gene-rich countries of the Global South and the technology-rich countries of the Global North.

How do we balance conservation with the right to development? How do we ensure biodiversity becomes a common concern of humankind but still subject to the sovereign rights of nations?

It is not too late to make a difference but only if we start now at every level from local to global. Nature can still be conserved, restored and reused sustainably through transformative change, namely a fundamental, system wide reorganisation across technological, economic and social factors.

ISIS Malaysia, in collaboration with the Noah Foundation, is proud to host the fifth holder of the Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, who will delve into what we collectively can do to adopt a positive mindset and create effective changes to address our ecological crisis.