1998
- GEC was established.
1999
- Guidelines for integrating wetland conservation and wise use into river basin management developed by GEC were formally adopted by 140 countries at the 7th Conference of Parties of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
- GEC initiated its work on sustainable peatland management to address the massive problem of transboundary smoke haze in ASEAN.
2000
- The River Basin Initiative (RBI) developed with support of GEC was launched by the Ramsar Convention Bureau and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat at the CBD COP5 in Nairobi in May 2000.
2003
- ASEAN Member States (AMS) appointed GEC as the founding collaborative partner for the ASEAN Peatland Management Initiative (APMI) with a focus on technical and operational support.
2004
- GEC developed the SMART Ranger Programme to educate Malaysians about Solid Waste Management (SWM).
- GEC initiated the River Open Classroom at Bukit Kiara to educate the public on the importance of waterways and how to protect our rivers.
2005
- AMS appointed GEC as the executing agency for project development of the ASEAN Peatland Forests Project.
- GEC developed the RIVER Ranger Programme to educate Malaysians on every aspect of the freshwater ecosystem.
2006
- GEC was appointed as Technical and Operational Support Partner of the ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy 2006-2020 which provides a roadmap for the management of the 23 million hectares of peatlands in ASEAN.
2007
- SPARK Foundation in partnership with GEC has initiated the W.A.T.E.R Project at Sungai Way to educate the public about the importance of water resources.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recogised GEC’s work that contributed to their 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
2008
- The Global Assessment on Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change was recognised by more than 180 country Parties to the Convention to Biological Diversity in their meeting in Germany.
- GEF-CSO Network elected GEC as the Regional Focal Point for South East Asia to address environmental challenges.
- GEC was engaged by the Department of Environment, the Government of Malaysia to design and implement “Fire and Haze Prevention through Rehabilitation and Improved Management of Peatlands in Riau Province Sumatra, Indonesia”.
2009
- ASEAN appointed GEC as the Regional Project Executing Agency for ASEAN Peatland Forests Project (APFP) to facilitate a US$25 million programme to protect and rehabilitate peatlands throughout ASEAN.
2010
- GEC as Executing Agency for European Union (EU) funded Sustainable Management of Peatland Forests in South East Asia (SEApeat) Project as a parallel project to complement the APFP to support peatland inventories and management in Mekong countries.
- GEC co-chaired RSPO Peatland Working Group (PLWG) 2010-2012.
- GEC signed an MOU with the Selangor State government to support the conservation and rehabilitation of peat swamp forests in Selangor State for the period of 2010-2013 (phase 1).
- GEC was appointed as the Central Focal Point of the GEF NGO Network.
2011
- GEC partnered with HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad to rehabilitate Raja Musa Peat Swamp Forest through community participation (2011-2020).
2012
- GEC launched Friends of North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest and Peatland Forest Ranger (PFR) to educate and engage the local community and school students (young minds) in peatland conservation and protection efforts.
- GEC co-chaired the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – Emission Reduction Working Group (ERWG) 2012-2017.
2013
- GEC established Island Ranger
- GEC kickstarted annual celebration of World Wetlands Day in Raja Musa Forest Reserve
2014
- GEC partnered with Sime Darby Foundation and Sime Darby Plantations to enhance and strengthen the efforts for fire prevention and water management, rehabilitation and conservation of the Raja Musa Forest Reserve (FC32 & FC70) adjacent to Sime Darby Plantations – Raja Musa Division (2014-2019).
- GEC was appointed as the Secretariat for LEDS AFOLU Working Group
2015
- GEC established the National River Care Fund (NRCF) as an initiative to support local interested community groups pursuing river conservation activities.
- Sungai Kinta River Education Programme (in Perak) and Sungai Penchala River Education Programme (in Selangor and KL) adopted under the W.A.T.E.R Project.
- GEC established FLOOD Ranger to help reduce the risk of floods as well as reducing the socio-economic losses that have to be borne by all.
2016
- The Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia has appointed GEC to lead the River of Life Public Outreach Programme Phase 5 to empower key stakeholders in protecting rivers in the western portion of Kuala Lumpur.
- GEC signed an MOU with the Selangor State government to further support the conservation and rehabilitation of peat swamp forests in Selangor State for the period of 2016-2023 (phase 2).
- GEC co-chaired RSPO Peatland Working Group (PLWG) 2016-2019.
- GEC is a member of the National Biodiversity Roundtable (NBR), an advisory role to the Ministry.
2017
- GEC appointed to revise and update the RSPO Best Management Practices Manuals on: i) existing oil palm cultivation on peat; and ii) management and rehabilitation of natural vegetation associated with oil palm cultivation on peat.
2018
- Community Sustainable Peatland Centre (CoSPeC) was launched to engage and empower Kampung Raja Musa villagers on peatland sustainable management at RMFR.
- GEC celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
2019
- Measurable Action for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in Southeast Asia (MAHFSA) Programme was successfully launched in Bangkok, Thailand.
- GEC launched RIVER Ranger 2.0 with new features and scopes for improvements identified along the 15 years
- GEC established a sister organisation, Yayasan Gambut to work on sustainable management of natural resources in Indonesia.
2020
- GEC won the Role Model for Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) under the “Program Penanaman Pokok Bakau dan Spesies-spesies yang Sesuai di Pesisiran Pantai Negara”.
- GEC jointly led the Help Save Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve campaign
2021
- GEC formed the Friends of Klang River Basin (FoKRB).
2022
- GEC won the 2022 Merdeka Award (Environment Category)
- GEC as an implementing partner for the Yayasan PETRONAS Walk4Trees Challenge received recognition at ASEAN Green Initiative under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
2023
- GEC launched Global Environment Centre Community Network (GCN), a platform that unites both existing and future community partners of GEC.
- GEC unveiled 2050 Vision & Strategy as guiding principles for future directions towards achieving communities who are empowered and people are living in harmony with the environment while our nature resources are sustainably managed.
2024
- GEC received a Certificate of Appreciation for its service and contribution from the Menteri Besar of Perak, YAB Dato’ Seri Saarani bin Mohamad, in recognition of its successful implementation of the Kayuh D’Tonggang ecotourism initiative.