PETALING JAYA, 24 September 2026: Global Environment Centre (GEC) was recently awarded the prestigious ASEAN Green Initiative (AGI) 2026, under the Large-Scale Category. It was recognition of the organisation’s people-centric approach to community-led ecosystem restoration through Multi-Stakeholder Ecosystem Restoration of Forests, Peatlands and Coastal Landscapes in Malaysia, particularly in Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Perak and Selangor.
GEC Forest and Coastal Programme Manager, Mr Nagarajan Rengasamy recently received the award at the ASEAN Green Initiative Award Recognition Ceremony at Seda Vertis North in Quezon City, the Philippines, held during the ASEAN Heritage Parks Forum 2026.
Nagarajan also shared GEC’s ecosystem restoration experience at the AGI Technical Forum: Restoring Our Future: Biodiversity, Climate and People highlighting the organisation’s work in mangroves, coastal, forest and peatland ecosystems through Theory of Change (ToC) approach, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), sustainability framework and imparted key lessons learnt from GEC’s over 27 years of community-led restoration efforts across Malaysia.
According to GEC Director Mr Faizal Parish, the award reaffirms GEC’s belief and commitment that communities are at the heart of conservation delivers real, lasting, and measurable impact.
“This AGI recognition is for our restoration efforts that span forests, mangroves, peatlands, coastal, and water catchment ecosystems where we have planted over 161,490 trees planted across 103 hectares, supported by 12 community groups, 259 community beneficiaries, and 16 corporate partners,” he said.
Mr Faizal highlighted that the recognition doesn’t belong solely to GEC! Instead, he attributed the success to, “every community guardian and partner who has walked this restoration journey with GEC across the project sites, made possible through the dedication of our community groups, corporate members, state forestry departments, local authorities, and all who have believed in and supported this mission.”
The award is yet another feather in the cap for GEC that secured the Merdeka Award (Environment Category) in 2022 for the organisation’s outstanding contribution in mangrove, peat swamp forest, river and coastal management, climate change programmes and forging community engagement as well as partnerships that help to conserve and protect the environment and natural resources in Malaysia. Over the years, GEC also garnered a host of other local accolades.
END