And that’s a wrap!
Rimba is now taking steps to close down. It’s been a wild, crazy, wonderful and fulfilling roller coaster ride over the past decade (and more!) of our existence – but, as we’re a small local nonprofit with very limited resources and capacity, the frequent situations of financial insecurity, insufficient funds, plus the lack of long-term and sustainable financial support to pay ourselves a living wage make it impossible for us to continue operating under this model. So starting January 2022 we will no longer function as a fully operating entity.
We’re taking this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our supporters and partners who have made our work and successes possible. We really couldn’t have made all that progress and impact without you, especially in these very difficult times we’ve all been going through!
So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts, and please take hope from the knowledge that you have helped us to make conservation action a reality, creating some really lasting positive changes in the Malaysian conservation scene.
However, this doesn’t mean that all our work ends with us. Some of our projects are spinning off to continue pursuing what they started, and some have already done so. If you’re interested in following the continued progress of the work started by Rimba, here’s how you can stay updated:
Project Limestone ended after 2020, but Dr. Liew Thor Seng is still continuing his own research separately under the Institute of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Kenyir For Life (KFL) is expected to continue into the long term in combination with Hutanomics, to be wholly managed by private entity Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) after March 2022.
Project Cerberus is joining forces with Justice for Wildlife Malaysia (JWM), and they will combine their efforts to continue pursuing effective enforcement of Peninsular Malaysia’s wildlife legislation. Their work in Terengganu will be conducted in partnership with KFL.
Our Harimau Selamanya project has continued under Panthera Malaysia’s management as of January 2021, and is now known as Project Kenyir. They have been working in partnership with KFL and Project Cerberus, and we are still finalising transfer of ownership.
Project Pteropus will be able to complete their durian pollination research and flying fox protection efforts across Peninsular Malaysia by extending the project for another 6 months on a pro bono basis, thanks to generous supporters of their Fruit Bat Fundraiser – but this is expected to conclude in June 2022. After that, the project will close down. Their fruit bat conservation work in Terengganu will be absorbed by KFL.
Most importantly, while some of us will be moving on to new opportunities in life, many of us from these projects along with our project partners will continue to collaborate and support each other in carrying on the work that Rimba started in the Kenyir landscape, to help protect the priceless biodiversity and ecosystem services in Terengganu. So the story continues – stay tuned and keep an eye out for NBS updates!
For those of you still in this field – keep on fighting the good fight, and know that we continue to support your efforts in spirit. It’s our fervent hope that those who remain in this field will find ways to turn conservation into long-term financially sustainable career paths for our future generations in Malaysia. Because we all NEED a jungle out there!!!
Our information and resources are still available via our website.
Rimba 