Conservation isn’t just about protecting wildlife — it’s about securing livelihoods, economies, and the planet itself. Yet, funding overwhelmingly favours profit-driven industries, leaving environmental efforts struggling to survive. The reality is clear: safeguarding nature isn’t a financial burden — it’s the smartest investment we can make.
Conservation: An investment, not a charity
CONSERVATION has long been framed as a noble pursuit, a moral obligation rather than an economic necessity.
Yet, as the world grapples with accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, the financial reality is becoming impossible to ignore.
Mark Liao, president of Sarawak Eco Warriors and manager of Plants for Plastic, has seen this imbalance firsthand.
“Despite contributing approximately 75 per cent of global carbon emissions, high-income nations have yet to fulfil their financial obligations,” he said.
By 2050, an estimated US$192 trillion in climate reparations will be owed to the Global South, yet current contributions remain drastically insufficient.
The consequences are most severe for developing nations like Malaysia, where marginalised communities bear the brunt of climate change.
According to UNICEF, a child born in 2021 will experience seven times as many heatwaves, three times as many droughts, and twice as many wildfires as their grandparents.
Despite these urgent threats, young conservationists struggle to access climate funding due to complex grant application processes, a lack of organisational backing and limited technical knowledge.
“Young people have the passion but they need better access to resources and training.
“We must bridge the gap between funding institutions and grassroots conservation efforts,” Liao stressed.
Real cost of ecosystem collapse
When ecosystems collapse, it is not the wealthy who suffer first — it is the communities that depend on them for survival. Yet financial structures are often rigid, prioritising predefined criteria over real community needs.
“Funding should not be a box-ticking exercise. It must be tailored to actual needs — whether it’s sustainable agriculture, forestry, education, or tourism development,” Liao pointed out.
He recalled a 2021 youth-focused initiative in Sarawak’s interior villages that failed to align with local realities.
The programme was designed for teenagers, yet most attendees were elderly individuals and young children.
“In those communities, young people had already been sent to larger cities for education. If funding mechanisms fail to consider these local dynamics, they risk being ineffective,” he said.
Beyond misplaced initiatives, the misconception that conservation lacks financial viability has stifled progress.
With over 60 per cent of Malaysia’s native biodiversity, Sarawak holds immense potential for integrating conservation into business, tourism, and policy-making.
“That’s not a weakness — it’s an opportunity. Sarawak’s growing investment in renewable energy is proof that conservation and economic development can go hand in hand,” he said.
Liao also emphasised the need to reshape perceptions of environmental careers.
Too often, discussions focus on non-governmental organisations or field research, overlooking the growing demand for sustainability-driven businesses and innovation.
“We need to think beyond conservation in its traditional form.
“At Plants for Plastic, we incorporate sustainability into everything — our garden centre, event space, and community hub are built from 80 per cent recycled materials, and we focus on native plant species for reforestation.
“Other innovative models are emerging, such as YourgutBB, a social enterprise reducing waste and carbon emissions through decentralised production and local partnerships.
“These examples highlight how environmental careers can extend into unexpected sectors, creating financially sustainable pathways for young professionals,” he explained.
Yet, one of the greatest threats to biodiversity is often overlooked: waste pollution.
Since 2017, Sarawak Eco Warriors has conducted over 50 cleanups, revealing a disturbing trend — at least 70 per cent of the waste collected in Kuching’s coastal and urban areas is plastic-based.
“Plastic pollution is a silent killer. Wildlife suffers from entanglement, ingestion, and suffocation, but the damage goes even deeper — plastics break down into microplastics, infiltrating waterways, soil, and food chains.
“Recent studies have even found microplastics in the placentas of unborn babies, raising serious concerns about long-term health impacts.
“While we may not fully understand the long-term effects, what we do know is alarming — plastic pollution isn’t just harming nature; it’s affecting us too,” Liao stressed.
Rethinking conservation funding
The solution, Liao argued, lies not just in securing more funding but in using it more effectively.
“Large sums of money may be available now but they won’t last forever.
“The priority should be building a network of conservation-focused groups that complement each other’s strengths.
“True sustainability is not about one organisation doing everything perfectly — it is about many organisations working together, even if imperfectly.
“By fostering collaboration between waste management initiatives, educational programmes and conservation efforts, a system can be built that sustains itself long after external funding runs out,” he explained.
Conservation has long relied on donations, grants and ecotourism, but these funding sources are highly competitive and limited.
The future, Liao believed, lay in innovation and integration.
He emphasised the need for business models that integrated sustainability from the outset, rather than treating it as a separate cause.
Social enterprises offer a promising solution — by embedding conservation into industries like tourism, retail, and agriculture, dependence on external funding can be reduced.
“When nature protection becomes a shared responsibility rather than a charitable cause, it becomes financially sustainable,” he said.
The cost of doing nothing
Ignoring biodiversity loss comes at a cost far greater than any conservation investment.
“Ecosystem services — such as clean water, air purification, soil fertility, and climate regulation — are the foundation of our economy.
“Restoring them after they collapse costs far more than protecting them in the first place,” Liao pointed out.
For years, climate change was seen as a distant threat, but its effects are already disrupting food production, shifting weather patterns, and intensifying climate-related disasters.
While Sarawak had been relatively sheltered compared to regions like the Philippines, which endured six tropical cyclones in 2024, recent floods in February 2025 had proven that no place was immune.
“As a society, we need to see the bigger picture. Instead of focusing on disaster relief after the fact, we must invest in long-term prevention strategies,” he said.
The urgency to act has never been clearer. As climate-related disasters intensify and biodiversity loss accelerates, the cost of inaction far outweighs the price of conservation.
Sustainable funding, innovative business models and community-driven initiatives are no longer optional — they are essential to securing both environmental and economic stability.
On today’s World Wildlife Day, as the globe reflects on Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet, one truth stands out: protecting nature is not an expense — it is an investment in the future.
Every ringgit and effort spent on conservation today prevent far greater losses tomorrow, from biodiversity collapse to economic instability.
The question is not whether we can afford to fund conservation, but whether we can afford not to.
The time to invest is now — before the cost of inaction becomes irreversible.
For those looking to be part of the solution, @sarawakecowarriors on Instagram and Facebook provides insights and opportunities to get involved.
Businesses interested in supporting beach cleanups, reforestation or nature education workshops can reach out via sarawakecowarriors@gmail.com.
Together, we can create a lasting impact for both people and nature!
