Nabila Abdul Kadir

Malaysian environmentalist who pioneered rainforest conservation efforts and founded Malaysia's first green NGO in 1977.

Environmental Legacy

Nabila Abdul Kadir (b. 1948) is a visionary conservationist who shaped Malaysia's environmental policies. As a marine biologist, she witnessed the rapid deforestation of Malaysia's rainforests during the 1970s palm oil boom. In 1977, she co-founded Green Malaysia, the nation's first environmental NGO dedicated to protecting biodiversity. Under her leadership, the organization secured permanent protection for 12 key forest reserves through legal petitions and public campaigns.

Her groundbreaking 1982 report 'The Hidden Cost of Palm Oil' exposed ecological damage from plantations, leading to Malaysia's first sustainable agriculture standards. In 1990, she spearheaded the Malaysian Wetlands Protection Act, safeguarding 200,000 hectares of coastal ecosystems. Her advocacy inspired the 2005 creation of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.

Abdul Kadir pioneered community-based conservation, training indigenous groups in sustainable harvesting techniques. Her 2010 initiative Green Schools Program has educated over 500,000 students nationwide. Despite facing backlash from logging interests, she remains a vocal advocate for climate action, speaking at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit.