Statistics hardly lie. And here are some worrying figures that Malaysians should be concern about.

14 Percentage of mammals in Malaysia listed by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) as endangered.²

20 The number of rhinoceros left in Borneo. Major threats include poaching, illegal encroachment into key rhino habitats, and the fact that the remaining rhinos are so isolated that they may rarely or never meet to breed.²

99 Percentage of decline in leatherback turtle population at Rantau Abang, Terengganu since the 1960s. The critically endangered leatherback turtle or Penyu Belimbing to locals, is now facing extinction in Malaysia. Rantau Abang, Terengganu used to be the nesting home of one of the seven largest leatherback populations in the world.²

59.5 Percentage of forested areas in Malaysia's land surface. Today, forests still cover about 59.5% of the total land area. However, deforestation is a major concern as the country is still rapidly developing. In the 20 years from 1983 to 2003, there was a reduction of about 4.9 million hectare of forest cover in Malaysia. This is about 4 times the size of Singapore - an average of 250,000 hectare of forest being lost annually! Apart from deforestation, the remaining forests face threats from unsustainable logging, illegal removal of forest products and encroachment.²

70 Percentage of all available freshwater used for agriculture in Malaysia. Yet because of inefficient irrigation systems, particularly in developing countries, 60% of this water is lost to evaporation or is returned to rivers and groundwater aquifers. ¹

5.5 billion. Number of people who will live in areas facing water stress by 2025. About 40% of the world’s population currently lives in areas with moderate to high water stress. ¹