In cities across Malaysia, the signs are becoming harder to ignore. The weather is more erratic. Intense rainfall, flash floods, and prolonged heatwaves are now part of everyday life. Green spaces continue to shrink, and rivers are increasingly burdened by waste. Amid climate conversations in boardrooms and on social media, one question persists: What can we meaningfully do?

For a growing number of companies, schools, and community groups, the answer lies not just in making declarations or ticking ESG boxes, but in building a deeper understanding of the natural world—and our impact on it.

For Gamuda Parks, the journey began with a clear purpose: to embed environmental stewardship into the fabric of Gamuda Land’s township developments. As the company’s in-house sustainability division, it was tasked with driving biodiversity enrichment, conservation, and sustainable waste management, as well as creating healthy environment that supports native flora and fauna.

A key milestone in this effort was the creation of the 90-acre Wetlands Arboretum at Gamuda Cove—a multi-purpose initiative envisioned as a research centre for biodiversity, an educational hub for environmental awareness, and a living museum to showcase and preserve diverse wetland species.

As work progressed, Gamuda Parks’ mission naturally evolved to include community development and environmental education. This gave rise to the Gamuda Parks Academy (GParks Academy)—a platform that has been quietly cultivating structured, hands-on experiences to share sustainability knowledge with the wider public.

“Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with respected NGOs such as FRIM and Wetlands International Malaysia, curating environmental programmes that were initially designed to build awareness within our own developments,” says LAr. Khariza Abd Khalid, Executive Director of Gamuda Land.

“But as word spread, we began receiving more requests from organisations looking to kickstart their own sustainability journeys—especially through hands-on programmes for employees as part of their ESG commitments. That growing interest and trust inspired us to formalise our efforts through the Gamuda Parks Academy, making these experiential learning modules accessible to people from all walks of life.”

LAr. Khariza Abd Khalid, Executive Director of Gamuda Land

Turning Wetlands into a Living Classroom 
At the heart of the Academy is the biodiverse Wetlands Arboretum Centre in Gamuda Cove—located next to the Paya Indah Discovery Wetlands and near the Kuala Langat Forest Reserve. It has been transformed into a living classroom, and welcomed over 24,000 participants through 131 programmes to date.

Through GParks Academy, the Centre offers immersive, nature-based learning for all ages. You’ll find school children listening to storytelling by Temuan elders, corporate teams composting kitchen waste during Gamuda’s Urban Ecology and Biodiversity (G.U.E.B) Workshops, and even foraging for local, native ingredients guided by Orang Asli hosts—culminating in sustainable cooking sessions that connect participants with nature’s resources and traditional knowledge. Artisans like Mr. Kentik also teach traditional mengkuang and rattan weaving—passing on age-old skills that rely on forest stewardship, not exploitation.

Its youth platform, GParks Youth, engages university students in conservation research and leadership activities, while GL Rangers—its children’s series—has enriched over 3,000 children through play-based learning.

Feedback has been powerful. Teachers from Dwi Emas International School shared how the Nature PlayHouse programme for its GL Rangers opened new horizons for their students, allowing them to role-play as farmers and entomologists, and to explore topics well beyond their usual syllabus which inspires their future interest and career aspirations.

The Nature Playhouse programme includes hands-on activities like planting and harvesting crops, learning sustainable farming and exploring the wetlands ecosystem.

From Awareness to Habit-Forming Action 
Corporate organisations have also found value—not in abstract KPIs, but in habit-shifting experiences. Partners such as Canon Marketing Malaysia, ZUS Coffee, and Secret Recipe have all collaborated with the Academy to embed sustainability education within their CSR and ESG activities—demonstrating that meaningful environmental action can start with education.

Shawn Sim Zhe Han, a sustainability executive from Secret Recipe shared, “The G.U.E.B Waste Management programme was eye-opening. It gave us practical insights into managing food waste in our operations and daily lives. It’s a reminder that small, mindful changes can have a meaningful impact—both for the environment and for how we think about sustainability as a business.”

These aren’t just lessons—they’re experiences that stay with you. Thoughtfully curated to be immersive and meaningful, activities go beyond the usual CSR efforts, such as urban farming and composting encourage hands-on learning and reconnect communities with the source of their food and the importance of waste reduction.

One standout initiative is the Academy’s tree-planting programme with Yayasan Feruni, where funds were raised from corporates and individuals to provide trees. These were then planted by orphans, autistic children, single mothers and other underprivileged groups—creating a powerful, inclusive experience that fosters environmental stewardship and social impact in tandem.

Building a Greener, More Informed Malaysia
Looking ahead, GParks Academy aims to scale across more townships while supporting national goals such as the National Policy on Biological Diversity 2022–2030. But more importantly, it wants to help everyday Malaysians become better stewards of the environment.

This is not a one-off campaign. It’s a long-term commitment to embed biodiversity and environmental responsibility into the public consciousness—across generations and sectors.

In a time when green fatigue and scepticism are high, Gamuda Parks offers something different: an open, inclusive space where people can reconnect with nature, rediscover traditional wisdom, and take real steps—big or small—toward healing the planet.

Whether you’re a teacher, a student, a community group, or a corporate team exploring your next CSR initiative—the invitation is open. Visit the Wetlands Arboretum Centre. Join a public workshop. Start a conversation.

Because the first step toward protecting our planet is often just this: spending time in it.