[ARTICLE] Immersive Climate Journalism Workshop Brings Pulau Besar’s Stories to Life -

ARTICLE

Against the backdrop of turquoise seas and sandy shores, 15 local journalists and content creators came together on 18–20 September 2025 for an immersive workshop on climate change reporting. Co-organised by Science Media Centre Malaysia and Tengah Island Conservation (TIC) as part of the Festival Pulau Besar, the three-day programme blended classroom learning with hands-on field visits to highlight how climate stories can be humanised, localised, and solution-oriented.

The aim was clear: to strengthen the capacity of journalists to tell compelling climate stories that go beyond doom-and-gloom headlines, while drawing from the lived experiences of local communities and evidence from conservation science.

Setting the Scene

The workshop began with an introduction to the role of journalists in shaping public understanding of climate change, framed through the lens of climate solutions journalism. Participants explored why news avoidance is growing and how shifting narratives towards what is working can re-engage audiences.

This was followed by an immersive field visit around Pulau Besar to examine the island’s morphology and coastal changes, impacts of rising sea temperatures, and how cultural practices are adapting to shifting ecosystems. By situating climate reporting within tangible local contexts, participants were encouraged to look beyond abstract science and highlight the realities faced by islanders.

Immersive Field Experiences

Day two took participants out to sea. Through nesting patrols around the seven islands of the Pulau Besar cluster and a visit to TIC’s Tunku Abdul Jalil Conservation Centre (TAJCC) in Pulau Tengah, they witnessed first-hand conservation measures that protect biodiversity under mounting climate pressures.

Back on Pulau Besar, participants engaged with local community members and small tourism operators in a dialogue on sustainable tourism. The discussion revealed both the promise and challenges of balancing livelihoods with conservation, underscoring that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a social and economic one.

The evenings were just as enriching, with shared meals prepared by the island community and a traditional Zapin Pulau performance, reinforcing the message that heritage and nature are deeply intertwined, and both are under threat from climate change.

For many participants, it was their first time experiencing conservation challenges up close or hearing directly from villagers about how climate change affects their daily lives.

From Field to Storytelling

The highlight of the workshop was a dedicated Climate Solutions Journalism session. Using the four pillars of solutions journalism: Response, Evidence, Limitations, and Insights, participants worked in groups to draft story ideas based on what they had seen and heard.

Story prompts tied directly to TIC’s conservation pillars:

Integrated waste management on the islands
Habitat and species monitoring, including turtle nesting and coral restoration
Sustainable tourism practices balancing conservation with livelihoods
Cultural and heritage loss as climate impacts reshape island life

Looking Ahead

The workshop concluded on 20 September with the Festival Pulau Besar closing ceremony, officiated by local government representatives alongside UNDP and The Habitat Foundation. It marked not just the end of three days of learning, but the beginning of a wider effort to embed climate solutions journalism into Malaysian media.

As Malaysia faces mounting climate challenges, initiatives like this immersive workshop highlight the power of journalism not only to inform, but also to inspire action.