FEBRUARY 16 ― 2024 will be a more challenging year for biodiversity conservation efforts around the world. Global climate change is one of the main issues faced by every human on this planet. Uncertain weather conditions caused by the instability of the monsoon cycle as well as sudden weather changes and global warming will affect many living beings including the flora and fauna that inhabit this planet.

Besides that, the issue of threat of extinction is also a major challenge faced by scientists in preserving wildlife whether on land or in the ocean. More and more wildlife species are threatened with extinction and many more are also involved in human-wildlife conflict, which can also indirectly lead to the extinction of the species.

Although these issues are often associated with the palm oil industry including in Malaysia, many initiatives have been taken to minimise the industry's impact on climate change and biodiversity loss. The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF), which was established to represent the Malaysian palm oil industry, aims to minimise these negative impacts and making the palm oil industry in Malaysia more sustainable.

In order to strengthen MPOGCF's conservation and sustainability work in 2024, MPOGCF plans to go further in introducing and publicising MPOGCF's efforts at the global level. MPOGCF will participate in more seminars and exhibitions at the global level that will be organised by international conservation bodies.

The seminar that MPOGCF will participate in is the ECCB Seminar 2024: Biodiversity Positive by 2030. The ECCB or European Congress of Conservation Biology will organise its 7th congress which will take place in Bologna, Italy from June 17, until June 21, 2024. ECCB is a series of professional meetings organised by the Europe Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). ECCB aims to facilitate the exchange of conservation science and nature conservation practice and policy to promote the conservation of biological diversity in Europe. At this ECCB, MPOGCF will present two posters to explain the conservation and sustainability efforts being carried out by MPOGCF in Malaysia.

Apart from ECCB, MPOGCF will also participate in Pathway Europe 2024: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference; "Revisiting What Is Wild for Coexisting”. Themed on the concept of coexistence, this seminar will expose MPOGCF’s staff involved, with knowledge related to coexistence. Coexistence is currently one of the best solutions to mitigate human-wildlife conflict issues among oil palm growers in Malaysia. MPOGCF is currently carrying out campaign called "The Other Malaysian: Living Together in Harmony” which its ultimate goal is to encourage coexistence between the plantations and wildlife that live in their landscapes.

In addition, MPOGCF will also hold more engagements with the palm oil industry in Malaysia, including smallholders. This engagement will be used to get input from oil palm growers about challenges that they are facing, as well as the help and support they need to achieve sustainability and biodiversity-friendly objectives in addition to meeting the newly launched ESG requirements.

In 2024, MPOGCF will also organise the Biodiversity Forum 2024. This Biodiversity Forum 2024 is an extension of the Biodiversity Forum that was organised in 2016. This Biodiversity Forum 2024 will be a platform to gather biodiversity conservation experts from Malaysia and around the world to share the latest information related to the conservation of biodiversity carried out at the global level. This forum will also target all players in the country's oil palm industry for them to obtain the latest information and knowledge related to biodiversity conservation.

The programmes that have been planned by MPOGCF to be implemented throughout 2024 will make MPOGCF stands out and be better known both among friends and foes from inside and outside the country as a serious body in carrying out and supporting biodiversity conservation efforts in addition to slowing down or minimizing the impact of industry on global level climate change. MPOGCF also hopes that the programs that have been planned will get a good response from the oil palm industry so that more conservation and sustainability projects can be executed together.

In conclusion, the programmes planned by MPOGCF are aimed at enhancing, empowering and supporting biodiversity conservation efforts and slowing down the effects of climate change. These programmes are also expected to help conservation and sustainability initiatives by the Malaysian oil palm industry to improve the image of the Malaysian oil palm industry as a sustainable industry in the world.

* The writer is Conservation Manager of MPOGCF.

** This is the personal opinion of the writers or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.