
By Prevenaa Paramasivan & Jotisri Vasudevan
As we face severe global concerns such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, it is becoming obvious that human and environmental well-being are inextricably linked.
Planetary health innovations are critical to resolving these challenges and fostering a sustainable and resilient future.
Recognising the pressing need to address the interconnectedness of human health and the environment, the recent webinar on “Innovations in Biological Solutions for Planetary Health” held by Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya aimed to explore groundbreaking approaches that can solve urgent global needs.
Dr Wan Abd Al-Qadr Imad Wan Mohtar, a lecturer from the Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya lamented: “In recent studies around 44.5 % of food waste was observed in Malaysia. We throw more than we eat”.
“How to convert waste into edible food which can save our planet,” he sparked an immediate interest, prompting an exploration into the crucial connection between food waste and its impact on planetary health.
One of his initiatives is by inventing a mushroom agro-waste conversion which is turning the mushroom agro-waste into flour (MAWF).
With this flour, he came up with creative innovations like cookies, fish feed and food dyes which are edible to eat along with good outcomes through nutritional and sensory tests.
“Turning the ugly waste into beautiful food is very convincing and beneficial,” he beamed.
Food waste poses a significant challenge as it contributes to the problem of hunger. When we waste food, we squander valuable resources such as water, energy and land that are used in its production.
“My participation at the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Conference which focused on the best way to feed the world by 2050 has illuminated an idea where organic agriculture is the best way,” he expressed.
He believed that organic agriculture presents a compelling solution to simultaneously reduce food waste and address the issue of hunger by having sustainable food production.
By minimising food waste, we can decrease greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate the strain on land, water, and energy resources associated with food production. On the other hand, organic farming practices, which prioritise natural methods significantly lead to the overall health of the planet by fostering ecological balance.
In the realm of biological solutions for planetary health, biosafety evaluations play a crucial role.
As Shirley Vincent Ramesh, Strategic Policy Advisor – Regulatory Affairs pointed out: “Department of Biosafety Malaysia assumes a pivotal position in evaluating the safety of new products. This evaluation process is essential to ensure that the implementation of biological solutions does not negatively impact ecosystems or the environment”.
She focused on the applications that we can use for biological solutions and the commercialisation of these applications in terms of safety and concerns.
“This application through enzymes offers a sustainable alternative to chemical detergents and contributes to planetary health by reducing water usage,” she said.
“Sometimes the greatest answers in life are found in its smallest components like the enzyme,” she affirmed.
“The primary hurdle in the commercialisation phase of the application lies in ensuring its safety for consumption, which is a key concern for governments and local authorities”.
“If we want to sell a product, we must ensure that it complies with the local regulations and laws,” she emphasised.
According to Shirley, there are regulatory frameworks from the international treaty called The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that all countries need to follow to make sure we preserve our nature through biological solutions.
CBD aims to promote the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources.
Dr Sithi Vinayakam Muniandy, professor at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya expanded the discourse on the role of fungi mycelium in bolstering planetary networks.
Sithi cited the wondering fact from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks: “Mycorrhizal fungi and plants have symbiotic relationships mainly nutrient exchange that dates back about 475 million years. This plays crucial roles in the biosphere of Earth.”
Within the complex and interconnected web of roots that spread across the forest floor, a captivating ecological dance takes place.
“Among the tangled roots of the forest floor, fungi and bacteria grow with trees, exchanging nutrients for carbon in a vast, global marketplace. This will form different fungi networking structures and concepts,” he said.
“Utilisation of a bio-inspired routing algorithm based on fungi networks in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) is an example of leveraging biological solutions to address network challenges,” said Sithi.
MANETs are networks of mobile devices that can communicate with each other without relying on a fixed infrastructure like Wi-Fi or cellular networks.
“The connection between MANETs and fungi networks lies in the inspiration taken from the efficient and adaptive networking patterns observed in fungi mycelium as a bioinspired model”.
This nature-inspired biological solution will address the challenges posed by the decentralised nature of MANETs, promoting robust communication and improving overall network performance,” he said.
“That is the reason why Mycelium is a very highly intelligent system,” he implied.
In essence, the speakers asserted that through utilising nature’s toolbox and embracing sustainable methodologies, we can forge a future that is robust, environmentally conscious and beneficial for both people and the planet.
This webinar session is an on-going effort by the Institute for Advance Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya to raise awareness and enlightenment for Planetary Health and is held in conjunction with Universiti Malaya Sustainability Festival 2023 with the theme “Climate Action and Planetary Health”. For more information, kindly visit https://ias.um.edu.my/ or contact Dr Fong Chng Saun at fongcs92@um.edu.my.