Cyberjaya, Malaysia, 28 September 2020 - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Malaysia, in collaboration with animation studio Monsta, has launched a new public service announcement campaign starring Monsta's popular 3D-animated duo ‘Papa Pipi’ to raise awareness on river conservation.

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water the campaign entitled ‘Sungai, Nadi Kehidupan Kita’ takes us through the journey of Papa and Pipi’s camping trip by the river as they discover the harmful effects of water pollution on living creatures in the ecosystems and its surrounding communities. The campaign serves to emphasize that positive behavioural change is the vital key to solving the world’s most pressing environmental problems. By presenting this message in an entertaining and simplistic manner using Monsta’s trademark humour, UNDP Malaysia seeks to inspire and educate positive behaviour change amongst the public and encourage community ownership in protecting our rivers. 

“We are very happy to collaborate with UNDP to spread awareness about river conservation and present it in an entertaining and easy-to-understand way,” said Monsta CEO Nizam Abdul Razak. “Papa Pipi has always been about spreading positive messages, whether it’s something as simple as the importance of spending time with your children, or even bigger topics such as taking care of the environment.”

Malaysia has some 157 river systems, as well a variety of tropical wetlands, forests and marine ecosystems, and it is recognized as one of 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. Its river systems as well as riparian and catchment forests support an immense diversity of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, including more than 600 freshwater fish species. River and floodplain wetland systems occupy some 3.9 million ha or 10% of the country’s land area.

Malaysia’s river systems provide ecosystem services benefiting both rural communities and urban societies, including water supply, artisanal fisheries, the aquarium fish industry, transport routes, tourism and recreation. However, Malaysia’s rivers face threats from a wide range of pressures that threaten their biodiversity and ecological stability, with ongoing loss of fresh water flora and fauna species, and deterioration of river quality which left unmanaged can lead to socio-economic losses at the expense of people’s wellbeing. An estimated 80% of marine and coastal pollution originates on land – including agricultural run-off, pesticides, untreated sewage and solid waste such as plastics.

“For protecting rivers, building communities' sense of ownership is important. We need to build awareness of conservation and galvanize communities to take action. We hope our audience will heed Papa Zola's call to take better care of our rivers,” said Niloy Banerjee, UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.

Monsta recently made headlines with their COVID-19 PSA ‘Duduk Diam-Diam! Jauhi COVID-19!’ and the catchy music video ‘Ayuh Cuci Tangan!’ starring Papa Pipi which were widely praised for being timely and informative. Together, UNDP Malaysia and Monsta hope that the ‘Sungai, Nadi Kehidupan Kita’ will reinvigorate Malaysians’ love for our oceans and rivers, especially the younger generation who will grow up to be the caretakers of this beautiful country that we call home.

To watch the new episode and follow the campaign, please visit https://www.facebook.com/papapipizola/