Voices of the rainforest: Co-creating a traditional ecological knowledge-based climate change curriculum framework with indigenous communities in Malaysia

Voices of the Rainforest logo

Voices of the Rainforest is a substantial British Academy research award that aims to co-create a traditional, ecological, knowledge-based climate change curriculum framework for primary schools with indigenous communities, children, and school partners in the Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, and Perak states of Malaysia. 

This research project is being awarded in line with the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is a central part of the UK’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement (Article 7, Para 5) and Net Zero targets. 

Parties acknowledge that adaptation action should follow a country-driven, gender-responsive, participatory and fully transparent approach, taking into consideration vulnerable groups, communities and ecosystems, and should be based on and guided by the best available science and, as appropriate, traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous peoples and local knowledge systems, with a view to integrating adaptation into relevant socioeconomic and environmental policies and actions, where appropriate.

About

Climate change awareness among children in Malaysia is low as the centralised education system does not sufficiently communicate its urgency and impacts. At the same time, its Western-centric approach to environmental education marginalises traditional ecological knowledge which is rooted in centuries of harmonious interaction between indigenous communities and their ecosystems. 

Voices of the Rainforest is an interdisciplinary research project which tackles this dual challenge by developing a new educational framework that raises climate awareness and integrates traditional knowledge. Bridging anthropology and education, the project's participatory approach uses ethnographic and arts-based methods to co-create a curriculum framework with partner schools and indigenous communities in Malaysia. 

This is a collaborative research project with the National University of Malaysia (UKM). It is funded by the British Academy ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024 (Knowledge Frontiers). 

Read more about the project here

People

Research team 

Dr Syafiq Mat Noor, Principal Investigator, University of Leeds 

Dr. Siti Nur Diyana Binti Mahmud, Co-Investigator (Education), Project Lead (Malaysia), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Dr. Zanisah Man, Co-Investigator (Anthropology), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Mazliza Aini Abdul Majid, Research Office, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Dr Nur Izzati Abdullah, Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Qayherah Ahmad Zam Zam, Fieldwork Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Nur Iman Kamarudin Azhar, Fieldwork Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Shazleeza Izlyn Yusaimi, Fieldwork Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Nurfatin Nadia Mohd Suhaimi, Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Norsyazwani Muhamad Dah, Research Assistant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Annabelle Dawson, Research Assistant, University of Leeds 

Muhammad Zulfadhli Kamarudin, Research Assistant, University of Leeds 

Advisory Board 

Prof Margaret Kovach, University of British Columbia 

Prof Mary Brydon-Miller, University of Louisville 

Prof Ruth Swanwick, University of Leeds 

Prof Vanessa Kind, University of Leeds 

Dr Lou Harvey, University of Leeds 

Prof Juli Edo, Universiti Malaya 

Blog 

Browse our project blog to gain new insights on our theoretical and methodological approach and other aspects related to the research.