Investigative journalism is necessary to expose corruption which contributes to the lack of enforcement in the exploitation of natural resources such as timber and mining, said a renowned English professor of conservation biology.

According to Prof Ian R Swingland, such journalism is vital in order to vote corrupt leaders out and vote in those who support the enforcement of rules and regulations

Swigland is the director of Sustainable Forestry Management (UK) Ltd. He is also the advisor on biodiversity to the Asian Development Bank and World Bank.

He was speaking to malaysiakini at the sidelines of the International Media and Environment Summit in Kuching.

He said there is much investigative journalism in the United States, United Kingdom and many parts of Europe as well as in China.

"Unfortunately, there is still a lot less or absence of investigative journalism in some parts of the world," he said, without wanting to be specific.

He attributed this to several factors, including what he described, as the local media's loyalty to the government and not wanting to upset the leaders.

Swingland is also the founder and director of Durrel Institute of Conservation. He also advises multilateral donors, the Chinese and UK governments as well as major corporations on environmental policy.

Environmental court

Meanwhile, New Zealand environmental lawyer Philip Milne suggested that Malaysia might want to follow his country's footstep by setting up an environmental court to deal with environment-related litigation cases in view of its rapid economic growth.

The court, set up in the 1990s, also attends to complaints and appeals arising from decisions by planning authorities as well as hear representations from non-governmental organisations on matters relating to the environment.

The court is part of the judiciary and is presided over by a judge who is assisted by two environmental experts and aggrieved parties can also appeal to the higher court, Milne told malaysiakini.

New Zealand's environment court is the successor the country's Planning Tribunal. It was set up following the introduction of a new law called the Resource Management Act in 1991.