Malaysian mangrove resources are exploited for woods, fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, and in recent decades for aquaculture and ecotourism. Such exploitations are often unsustainable, particularly when there is permanent change in land usage. In the last four decades, it is estimated that the overall loss in mangrove areas is over 16 percent (approximately 110,000 hectares). In spite of the continuous exploitation and deforestation of mangrove forests, one mangrove conservation area in Malaysia, the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve remains as one of the best managed mangrove forests in the world. Its striving rich mangrove biodiversity presents a discrete example and success story relating to how sustainable development is possible in meeting the challenges in balancing the natural systems with increasingly social-economic demands by humanity. In this paper, the researcher attempts to illustrate a narrative account to showcase an exemplary lesson on education for sustainable development (ESD) based on this single well conserved and managed mangrove forest that attains sustainable socioeconomic and environmental development. By systematic harvesting and replanting, the ecological sustainability of the mangrove forest prevails for the well-being of the wildlife inhabitants and humanity. The mangrove conservation programme provides strict regulation for harvesting mangrove wood to meet the demands of the century-old charcoal factories and construction industry. The rich mangrove resources are diligently used for fish and prawn aquacultures, cockle farming, and for promoting ecotourism industry such as bird watching, mangrove ecology, and river cruise. The researcher will share his findings on this 'success story' on sustainable development in this seemingly utopian territory on mangrove conservation.