Malaysia’s natural environment faces significant challenges, including widespread deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and encroachment from human activities. These pressures are intensified by climate change, weak environmental governance, and uncoordinated national planning. Remaining forested areas, often located in interior regions, are under constant threat from plantations, mining, infrastructure projects, and hydroelectric developments, leading to carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and human-wildlife conflict.

Indigenous and local communities living in these regions face marginalization and economic struggles, with their voices often excluded from decisions about land development. State governments, seeking additional revenue, frequently prioritize low-cost economic activities like logging and plantation expansion, putting biodiversity-rich forests at risk. Development priorities are further driven by state and district planning documents, which are updated infrequently and often allocate new areas for exploitation.

At the federal level, Malaysia faces the complex task of balancing economic development with its commitments to global environmental agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. While initiatives exist to address these issues, they are often fragmented, lacking the coordination and comprehensive approach needed to ensure sustainable outcomes.