Rimba Asli

26/03/2026

We’ve had very little respite from the heat in recent months, and it’s been intensifying.

With water levels in the Belum–Temenggor landscape continuing to drop, we saw an opportunity to better understand water availability—and scarcity—in the village that Rimba Asli works with. Sharing a video update from our latest recce :)

This April, we’re teaming up with 4x4 Relief to build a dam—the first in a series of volunteer efforts to improve village conditions with the community.

We’re looking forward to the learning, collaboration, and camaraderie this volunteer initiative will bring, and we’ll keep you updated on how things unfold.

22/11/2025

We had a lovely meeting with community based artists from Finland, who will be facilitating a workshop with our Kg.Klewang children in December. Looking forward to an amazing trip!

30/10/2025

More reason to plant fig trees... I hope some Malaysian species can do the same!

Scientists have discovered that some fig trees in Kenya can turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) into stone — not just store it in their leaves or wood. 🌳

These trees, like Ficus wakefieldii, use a natural process called the oxalate-carbonate pathway to change CO₂ into tiny crystals of calcium carbonate, the same mineral found in limestone and chalk. 🪨

That means even after the tree dies, the carbon stays locked away safely in the soil instead of going back into the air.

Researchers from Kenya, Switzerland, Austria, and the U.S. shared this finding at a science conference in Prague. They believe this discovery could help farmers and forest projects fight climate change — by planting trees that trap carbon in stone form. 🌍

24/10/2025

The monsoon returns, and with it, a call to renew our commitment to planting forests and growing healthier food — to restore what has been lost.
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Backed by the The Habitat Foundation and guided by the well-known Agroforestry expert Bunya Halasz https://www.growingrootspermaculture.com/ from the Australian tropics, Rimba Asli is honoured to host a rare, hands-on course combining the practice of Syntropic Agroforestry with Permaculture in the HEART OF KL at KL Steiner School.

A proven and accelerated approach for reversing ecosystem degradation, returning vast amounts of carbon to the soil, and restoring climatic balance — Syntropic Agroforestry, when integrated with Permaculture Design, reshapes how we bring multi-layered and resilient forests back into our lives — into homes, schools, farms, and communities — while strengthening food security and soil fertility year after year.

🌿 In this hands-on course, you’ll learn practical skills you can 'plant and grow' immediately, including:

– Applying core principles of natural forest stratification & succession to rehabilitate bare earth into abundant forest.
– Using intelligent species selection, placement & guild design for maximum yields.
– Farming water and managing energy flows to build resilience.
– Regenerating the soil food web by increasing biomass, strategic plant communities & soil biology.
– Growing beneficial and edible fungi in a forest ecosystem.
– Incorporating Permaculture Design for energy efficiency.
– Planning & managing systems for abundant, diverse yields of food, biomass & income.

🌾 Seats are limited!
Join us this monsoon to learn how to grow forests — methodically, thoughtfully, and in harmony with nature. Most suited for small to mid-scale initiatives in both rural and urban settings.

👉 https://rimbaasli3.wixsite.com/rimba-asli-1
Please help spread the word and share this with fellow growers, stewards, and nature lovers. 🙏

22/05/2025

Hopea helferi / Giam lintah bukit, critically endangered. Location: Royal Belum. Collected seeds have been sown by the villagers in the Kg.Klewang tree nursery.

22/05/2025

Recently we had the pleasure of hosting a retired FRIM (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) plant identification expert, Abu Husin. We were able to identify the scientific and local names of important wild fruit trees in the jungle, to match the names in the Jahai language. Whenever we came across wildlings, we collected some for our nursery stock as well. We identified about 100 trees altogether.

22/05/2025

A big thank you to the lovely, fun, insightful, proactive Yvonne Hay for two power days of volunteering - helping with data collection at Kg.Klewang, brainstorming and reality check discussions at basecamp. You are amazing! 🥰😘

22/05/2025

The kids love helping their moms out in the nursery. They love swimming in the lake and fishing too. They’re pretty strong— champs at helping to carry clean water back to their jungle huts from the lakeside, where they draw it from piped river water upstream...