Opinion piece by Dr Henry Chan: The budget announcement on 2 November 2018 by Finance Minister YB Lim Guan Eng followed the release of two major global environmental reports – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5° degrees Celsius and the WWF Living Planet Report (LPR) 2018. Both reports underscored the need for immediate action to avoid catastrophic climate change and loss of wildlife. The reports also reminded decision-makers of the importance of natural ecosystems to human livelihoods and well-being, as they ultimately provide us food, clean water, medicines and security. The WWF Living Planet Report estimates that these ecosystem services are worth around US$125 trillion a year (140 per cent of global GDP) globally. As the first to follow these landmark reports and accompanying recommendations, this budget is an opportunity for the government to respond to these challenges and start the crucial transition towards a sustainable economy..... However, we are disappointed that the budget announcement did not touch on arresting the decline of biodiversity – including our Malayan tigers – through more effective enforcement. Increasing enforcement efforts to protect Malaysian wildlife is also a matter of national security, as there has been recorded evidence of foreign poachers who are armed, and therefore pose a danger to local communities and enforcement officers. Hence, even though specific allocations for enforcement was not announced, it is hoped that the government considers setting aside sufficient funds to effectively protect Malaysia’s natural heritage.

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