Even before the passing of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and the subsequent establishment of the then Division of Environment (now the Department of Environment) in 1975, non-governmental organisations working on environmental issues MENGOS (Malaysian environmental NGOs) were already in existence.

Among the early pioneers were the Malayan Nature Society, the Consumers' Association of Penang, the Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia and the Worldwide Fund For Nature. They were later joined by other organisations such as Sahabat Alam Malaysia which came into being in the later part of the 1970s, whilst other organisations were established in the 1980s and 1990s.

Interestingly, even before the historic and watershed Stockholm Conference in 1972 on Environment, Malaysian NGOs such as CAP held seminars and workshops on issues concerning the environment. These organisations were already lobbying the government to introduce environmental laws and policies in the country.

Hence, as representatives of civil society, these organisations were pioneers of the environmental movement in Malaysia. Indeed, they can even be acknowledged as pioneers in the developing world, long before the word 'environment' became fashionable.