KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) and Sime Darby Plantation are working together to rehabilitate degraded peatlands in palm oil plantations.

The first of its kind project, which aims to revive damaged peatlands back to their natural functioning ecosystems, is expected to become a model for the palm oil industry.

The importance of this project cannot be over emphasised as peatlands play a crucial role in Malaysia’s ecosystem and long-term environmental sustainability is not possible without their rehabilitation.

Peatlands, the most extensive category of wetlands in Malaysia, span an area of approximately 2.13 million hectares, constituting around 6.46 per cent of the total land area.

Sixty per cent of these peatlands, which make up 1.7 million hectares, are located in Sarawak.

"If we don’t restore the peatlands, then of course, the first thing that happens is greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere, climate change, global warming and we don’t want the haze, the forest fires, so that’s why we need to preserve them,” said MPOGCF conservation manager Ahmad Shahdan Kasim.

MPOGCF and Sime Darby Plantation are funding RM1.48 million for a period of two years to rehabilitate 50 out of the 400 hectares located at Lavang Estate in Bintulu, Sarawak.

"We plan to maintain suitable tree species by reforestation works on non-productive agricultural land that includes a large-scale tree planting programme as nature-based solution to increase carbon sink,” said Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd. Sarawak regional CEO Khairul Nizam Idris.

In 2022, Sime Darby plantations partnered with the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (STROPI) to commission a comprehensive investigation into the peat soil of the targeted area.

May 2023 saw the deployment of essential tools and equipment for continuous monitoring, including water level markers, piezometers and peat subsistence poles.

The project expanded its research scope by engaging University Putra Malaysia Campus Bintulu to conduct a comprehensive biodiversity assessment.

University Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus or UPMKB Agricultural and Forestry Science faculty dean Dr Zamri Rosli said they divided their assessment to cover several scopes of fauna categories, such as, and among others, birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

"For the flora assessment, our researchers are measuring the adult trees with more than 10 cm diameter at breast height,” he said, adding that they also collected seeds and saplings of the trees to be used in their trial plots.

One of the biggest challenges was the careful selection of suitable plant species.

In response, stakeholders representing diverse backgrounds, mainly locals who live in the areas, came together to source seedlings in Kapit, Sibu and Bintulu.

The Sarawak Forest Department also secured tree supplies for the trial planting phase.

A total of 30,000 seedlings are scheduled to be planted in an area of 50 hectares with targeted completion by 2025.

MPOGCF and Sime Darby Plantation hope their peatland restoration model will be an effective strategy for carbon sequestration and nature-based solution to alleviate the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

With it, they hope to contribute to a better environment and economy for Malaysia.

MPOGCF general manager Hairulazim Mahmud said: "The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation has been and will continuously initiate, collaborate and support environmental conservation through biodiversity projects towards a sustainable future.”

For more information, visit www.mpogcf.org.