MSAF

On 29 June 2020, the International Day of the Tropics was celebrated to remind Malaysians of the past and current successes as well as to provoke thought on Malaysia’s potential leadership roles. Four themes of the Mahathir Science Award were highlighted by the webinar, which are Tropical Agriculture, Tropical Natural Resources, Tropical Medicine and Tropical Architecture and Engineering. The webinar also featured a panel discussion on the vision for a Federated Data Platform for Tropical Biodiversity and a discussion on Kuala Lumpur Declaration for the Tropics. The webinar was attended by 423 participants from all over the world.

Mangroves covers around 15 million hectares worldwide, 95% of which are in the Tropics. These extraordinary ecosystems contribute to the wellbeing, food security, and protection of coastal communities worldwide. In conjunction with the International Day of the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, a webinar themed People and Mangroves was organized on 28 July 2020 to provide an overview of the latest scientific findings and conservation efforts of mangroves. Three representatives from the local communities who are directly dependent on mangroves for their livelihoods shared their experiences in the webinar. The webinar attracted 239 participants from 31 countries.

The tropical region is rich in natural resources that can benefit the people who live there. The existence of rivers and rain-fed arable land in the tropics provide the conditions for most renewable energy sectors to flourish. Acknowledging this, a webinar themed Engineering for Sustainability: Water and Energy in the Tropics was organized on 22 September 2020. ASM Fellows from the Engineering Discipline explored how energy and water in the Tropics can be sustainably provided and managed.

In conjunction with International Youth Day, two webinars themed Youth for the Tropics were organized on 12 and 13 August 2020. The webinar aims to create awareness among youth in the Tropics on the issues that are vital to them and celebrate youths with valuable contributions through science, policy engagement and social entrepreneurship in solving problems of the Tropics. The webinar on 12 August talked about how youths could contribute to the Tropics with a focus on climate change and harnessing and protecting natural resources. Meanwhile, the webinar on 13 August focused on social entrepreneurship to build communities that are resilient towards disasters and climate change. The webinars attracted 398 participants from 30 countries.

A webinar themed Black Gold of the Tropics was organized on 1 October 2020, in conjunction with International Coffee Day. The webinar celebrated coffee as a major trade commodity in the tropics and recognized the plight of coffee growers. The hybrid webinar attracted 76 online participants from 14 countries alongside a live audience.

By 2050, 2.5 billion people will be added to the world’s urban population, with nearly 90% of this increase taking place in tropical Asia and Africa. Therefore, cities in the tropics will drive the future global discourse on urbanization. On 4 November 2020, a webinar with the theme The Soul of the City was organized in conjunction with World Cities Day to explore the diverse elements that make up the ‘’soul’’ of cities in the tropics. More than 150 participants from 12 countries attended this webinar. A

A webinar on Mountains and Life was organized on 11 December 2020, in conjunction with the International Mountain Day to discuss the various ways mountains can support life in the tropics. The webinar has attracted participation from 14 countries.