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Draft:Reza Azmi

  • Comment: Continued promotion of Azmi and Wild Asia. If the latter is kept, can be redirected. Star Mississippi 14:10, 26 June 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: The subject will need to meet the WP:GOLDENRULE with truly independent sources. The interview can't count for this. Ideally there needs to be three examples of this too. ChrysGalley (talk) 09:37, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

Reza Azmi is a Malaysian environmental scientist, ecologist, and social entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and Executive Director of Wild Asia, a social enterprise established in 2003 dedicated to promoting sustainable natural resource management, regenerative agriculture, and equitable community benefits across Asia. His work is notable for it provides important knowledge of local biodiversity[1], efforts to advance alternative models for agriculture (e.g., regenerative agriculture)[2][3][4], pioneered a model of working with independent producers[5][6] and the impacts of global supply chains for raw materials sourced from the region, notably how this work has become the corner piece of global collaborations with international brands such as L'Oreal or Nissin in advancing sustainable sourcing[7][8].

Early Life and Education

Dr. Azmi trained as an ecologist and environmental scientist, earning his Bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He subsequently completed his doctoral thesis in field-based conservation biology and botany.

His Ph.D. research focused on plant taxonomy within Southeast Asia, specifically titled "A Taxonomic Revision of Ceriscoides (Rubiaceae) in South East Asia."[9][10] Dr. Azmi's revision included several new species to science: C. parvifolia, C. kerrii, C. imbakensis, and C. celebica.[9]

Much of his early fieldwork was conducted in Sabah, Malaysia, along the Kinabatangan River floodplain in collaboration with WWF Malaysia. His research mapped the relationships between local communities, changing economic influences, and forest resources.[11][10]

Species Discovery

During his botanical surveys in the Kinabatangan region, Dr. Azmi discovered a completely new plant species, Begonia lazat. He named the plant lazat (derived from the Malay word lazat, meaning "delicious") because local communities traditionally used its lemony-tasty leaves in culinary dishes.[12][11]

Career and Wild Asia

The early research work led Dr. Reza to take on employment with WWF Malaysia as a Research Officer up until the establishment of Wild Asia. In 2003, Dr. Azmi founded Wild Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, out of a need to provide practical, ground-level sustainability solutions for major agri-businesses. Under his leadership, Wild Asia evolved from a boutique environmental consultancy into a prominent regional social enterprise.[10]

Publications

Lead Author

  • 2003 - Taxonomic Revision of Ceriscoides (Rubiaceae) in South East Asia[9]
  • 1998 - A New Culinary Begonia from Borneo.[13]
  • 1998 - Natural Resource Use by Local Communities and its Implications for Managing Protected Areas.[14]

Contributions

  • 2025 - Oil palm smallholders in management-assistance programs vary in socio-demographics, attitudes, and management practices.[15]
  • 2023 - Smallholder sustainability assessments using UAV.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Cover: Eco-Warrior". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  2. ^ "Agriculture: Pushing oil palm smallholders to adopt regenerative agriculture". The Edge Malaysia. 2026-01-22. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  3. ^ Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil | RSPO (2025-06-09). The Palm Pod EP 8 - Digging Deeper: Why Regenerative Agriculture Matters – with Wild Asia. Retrieved 2026-06-26 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Team, Star (2020-12-21). "The Sustainable Palm Oil Revolution". The Star. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  5. ^ Costs and benefits of RSPO certification for independent smallholders. A science for policy paper for the RSPO. Petra Rietberg MSc, Wageningen University (2016): https://www.sensorproject.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Costs-and-benefits-of-RSPO-certification-for-independent-smallholders-FINAL.pdf
  6. ^ Journal of Oil Palm &The Environment 2012, 3:114-120 doi:10.5366/jope.2012.12 A Review of Smallholder Oil Palm Production: Challenges and Opportunities for Enhancing Sustainability - A Malaysian Perspective Claudine Nagiah and Reza Azmi. [1]
  7. ^ "農園・政府・企業が一体となったパーム油の持続可能な調達を目指し、 マレーシアの農園で 「ランドスケープアプローチ」 の効果検証を開始". 日清食品グループ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  8. ^ L"Oreal Sustainability Sourcing Report (2015). See
  9. ^ a b c Azmi, Reza (2003). "A Taxonomic Revision of Ceriscoides (rubiaceae: Gardenieae)". Harvard Papers in Botany. 7 (2): 443–464. ISSN 1043-4534.
  10. ^ a b c "Eco Warrior". theEdge. 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Dr. Reza Azmi - Sukau Rainforest Lodge". 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  12. ^ "Forest trail of the plant prospector". 1999.
  13. ^ Azmi, Reza; Kiew, Ruth (1998). "A New Culinary Begonia from Borneo". Gardens Bulletin Singapore. 50: 43–48.
  14. ^ Azmi, Reza (1996). "Protected Areas and Local Communities in the lower Kinabatangan Region, Sabah:Natural Resource Use by Local Communities and its Implications for Managing Protected Areas". Sabah Society Journal (13): 1–32 – via Reza Azmi, 1996.
  15. ^ Reiss-Woolever, V. J., Wakhid, W., Ikhsan, M., Caliman, J. P., Naim, M., Azmi, E. N., Shufiyan, S., Howes, J., Azmi, R., Ying Lim, Y., Abdul Jan, S. Z., Barrock, I., Azhar, B., Drewer, J., Ward, C., Jones, J. A., Luke, S. H., Turner, E. C., Hidayat, P., & Buchori, D. (2025). "Private, non-profit, and plantation: Oil palm smallholders in management-assistance programs vary in socio-demographics, attitudes, and management practices". PLOS ONE. 20 (5).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Wong, Y. B., Gibbins, C., Azhar, B., Phan, S. Shen., Scholefield, P., Azmi, R., & Lechner, A. M. (2023). "Smallholder oil palm plantation sustainability assessment using multi-criteria analysis and unmanned aerial vehicles". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 195 (4): 481.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Category:Malaysia Category:Scholars and academics

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