We know that with rapid urbanisation comes losses to the natural environment - urban biodiversity is threatened by intensive land-use change, and also from gardening and landscaping practices that disrupt native biodiversity in the process, contributing to the loss of flora and fauna from ecological communities. How can we address these challenges in urban ecology and conservation? That's where the Urban Biodiversity Initiative’’ (UBI) comes in - they are an independent social enterprise for urban ecology research, conservation and environmental education, based at the Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden, Universiti Malaya (UM). We speak to Dr. Thary Gazi Goh, an entomologist, conservationist, wildlife educator and Managing Partner of UBI to discuss how UBI contributes to urban ecology research, conservation, and environmental education, and also to explore strategies that Malaysians can implement to effectively conserve biodiversity in our cities. 

Image Credit: Urban Biodiversity Initiative (UBI)