SANDAKAN: Sawit Kinabalu Group is committed to focusing on monitoring renewable energy and the greenhouse effect, particularly in relation to oil palm activities and mitigation efforts amid current climate change challenges.
General Manager Sustainability Division at Sawit Kinabalu Group, Nazlan Mohamad said the importance of the newly established Carbon and Climate Change Unit since June this year.
Nazlan highlighted that this unit plays a crucial role in understanding climate change dynamics, especially in Sabah, and in preserving the environment effectively.
He explained that this initiative is part of Sawit Kinabalu Group’s broader efforts to ensure effective mitigation and monitoring practices.
“In addition to profitability, Sawit Kinabalu Group is dedicated to ongoing conservation efforts, covering areas like Kinabatangan and other regions totaling 8000 hectares across Sabah,” Nazlan said when met by the Media following his participation in the Environment Day 2024 event themed ‘Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.’
The event was jointly organized by Sawit Kinabalu Group and Sabah Forestry Department at the Sawit Kinabalu Group Conservation and Biodiversity Unit Office in Sungai Pin, Kinabatangan on Tuesday.
It was officiated by Senior Farm Manager Sg. Pin, Irfanshah Jambra representing Sandakan Sawit Kinabalu Regional General Manager, Mohammad Muazam Syah Idris.
Also present, Sandakan Regional Forestry Officer, Jurimin Ebin and other guests.
Among present were teachers and students from three nearby primary schools, SK Paris, SK Kota Kinabatangan and SK Batu Putih as well as representatives of Kinabalu Palm conservation partners from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, WWF-Malaysia, Orang JUGA, KOPEL BHD and BORA.At the event, attendees also participated in tree planting activities facilitated by the Sabah Forestry Department.
This initiative is part of the Sabah state-level initiative for Malaysia’s Greening Program 2021-2025, which aims to plant 100 million trees nationwide during this period.
Since 2003, the Sawit Kinabalu Group alone has successfully planted 850 thousand trees.
In the same development, regarding efforts to encourage more parties to come forward to plant trees, the Sawit Kinabalu Group also introduced ConserveByU which can be accessed through ConserveByU.com where trees can be bought and planted to help each other in related efforts.
The types of trees sold are also local trees, he explained.
Meanwhile, in addition to planting trees, among other conservation efforts implemented by Sawit Kinabalu Group is a 4km long wildlife corridor for Elephants in Bagahak, Lahad Datu with 100 meters of river restoration.
This area is provided by Kumpulan Sawit Kinabalu while this effort is also assisted by WWF Malaysia which equally supports this effort.
This facilitates the movement of elephants from one forest reserve to another, namely Silabukan to Tabin since 2021, and there are also plants for other wildlife.
This is also an effort to ensure that the Borneo elephant is not threatened with extinction as in a recent report by the concerned party.
While in Kinabatangan, near Sungai Pin, he explained, the Sawit Kinabalu Group also made a bridge for the orangutan path and it also attracted this wildlife to pass through the area in question safely.
Regarding ecotourism, the Sawit Kinabalu Group has also opened a path for forest trek activities and exploring the Kinabatangan River for tourists, attracting 500 foreign tourists such as Japan and Europe.
Meanwhile, Sawit Kinabalu Group has also held a meeting with Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew to give a briefing on the conservation efforts that have been and are being carried out by the group.
During the ceremony, Joimin expressed appreciation for Sawit Kinabalu Group cooperation in conservation and tree planting efforts, along with the contributions of other parties, including non-governmental organizations, towards achieving the goal of planting 40 million trees in Sabah by 2025.
He said currently, 16.6 million trees have already been successfully planted in Sabah.
In Muazam Syah’s inauguration speech, read by Irfanshah, he highlighted the world’s facing of three major crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
He said the alarming increase in global temperatures, leading to severe weather events such as storms, floods, and droughts, which exacerbate natural disasters and threaten ecosystems worldwide.
The speech underscored that land degradation, desertification, and drought are silent yet critical crises impacting both people and the planet.
“While land restoration is reviving an ecosystem that has been and is deteriorating.
“For example by planting trees, cleaning the banks of the river, or just by giving space for nature to recover.” He added.
Thus, it can reverse the tide of land degradation, drought and desertification.
In addition, the restoration will increase carbon storage and slow down climate change.
“These ecosystems are complex and highly diverse. Therefore, their restoration requires careful planning and consistent implementation,” He said.
