Sonja Mustaffa The Star 1 Aug 13;
There is important work being done behind the scenes in Sabah to guarantee the survival of animals and mankind.
IT WAS an act we were proud of. Our tiny group of town mice braved leeches to plant trees in Kinabatangan, Sabah. Our deed for posterity could bring an end to the conflict between man and nature, especially animals. Our saplings will grow to create habitats and passageways for animals like the pygmy elephant and orang utan to dwell in and get to food safely.
It is a rare opportunity to receive an assignment that jives with your philosophy of life. Visiting Lower Kinabatangan in eastern Sabah with other journalists at the invitation of food and beverage manufacturer Nestle – whose tree-planting project here is called RiLeaf – was a truly pleasurable experience.
Considered one of South-East Asia’s biodiversity hotspots, the site is paradise for nature lovers who are attracted by the plenteous flora and fauna like the 624 bird species and 998 orchid species found here.
The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia started carrying out projects along Sungai Kinabatangan, Sabah’s longest river at 560km, in the late 1970s.
The Kinabatangan Corridor of Life (KCoL) project, launched in 2007, determined that teamwork between government agencies, oil palm companies (plantations occupy 85% of the area), tourism operators, non-governmental agencies and the local community is vital in protecting the biodiversity of Lower Kinabatangan, where human activity is rife.
The stakeholders needed to switch to sustainable palm oil production and tourism, rehabilitate the forest and river, set up a management committee to oversee the area and ensure ongoing funding for conservation.
Return to green
Kertijah Abdul Kadir, ex-WWF senior programme officer and now Nestle agricultural officer, has been working on forest restoration in Kinabatangan since 2004. She plans, administers and implements activities with the help of five staffers.
The Kinabatangan Restoration Road Map drawn up in 2009 by the Sabah Forestry Department determined that 32,000ha of Lower Kinabatangan needs to be reforested. This includes reconnecting fragmented forest (in both state and private land) to form wildlife corridors, reinvigorating degraded forest and enhancing the riparian forest to help control soil sedimentation and filter industrial runoff (fertiliser, pesticide and oil palm mill effluent).
“RiLeaf is aiming to plant 2,400ha,” says Kertijah. “So far, we have covered 1,560ha in 106 demarcated blocks out of 137 within forest gaps in wildlife sanctuaries. More than 100,000 trees have been planted to date.”
One of RiLeaf’s partners is Komuniti Anak Pokok Kinabatangan (Kapok). The cooperative of locals helps safeguard the environment by growing saplings for the tree-planting.
“I plant eight types of trees. My children and I gather seeds from the forest in our spare time to help grow more than 1,000 trees at a time,” says Isnidah Jangai who runs the Seratu Balai Gapi homestay business where she has her nursery.
Isnidah was handed the business to look after by her sister in 2006. She says she is glad to contribute in this way because it also brings her an income. Each six-month old sapling propagated in a polybag is sold for RM1.50 to RiLeaf. Tourists buy young trees from her too.
A WWF study has recommended that a KL-lite visiting Kinabatangan plant one tree to offset his carbon dioxide emission while somebody flying from Mexico or the United States should plant seven.
Kertijah doesn’t believe in vilifying oil palm smallholders, instead favouring to instil good agricultural practices which have proven in the past to produce a bigger and better harvest.
She is working with a handful of oil palm planters like Haji Awang Azis, 70 and Noorazizah Pibu, 42, in a project called UpLeaf to showcase how they can vary their source of income and improve the quality of palm yield through the use of microbes.
With the former, she has helped set up a poultry coop of 50 chickens that are free-ranging and given organic fodder, as well as fish ponds full of tilapia. The palm canopy provides essential shade. There is a ready supplier (of chicks and fry) and buyer who is hoping to see similar farms get off the ground. The sprayed microbes make the soil fertile and palm trees lush.
“It’s still at a trial and error stage. We only started in November. The big idea is to minimise or stop the use of hazardous chemicals and use a back-to-nature approach,” says Kertijah, whose research ally for the use of microbes is Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
“I can see the benefits of using microbes,” says Noorazizah who tends a seven-hectare plantation with her husband. “It has helped me reap more and sweeter fruit. The fronds are also more splayed to receive more sunlight.”
Kertijah’s team visits the planters every month to check on their progress and ensure that they have not fallen back on old ways. “Chemicals are expensive. Why should they spend more if with less money, they can gain a better quality (organic) product? The commitment comes after some time. Most are willing to give it a try. What they don’t like is being forced to give up their land (for reforestration). However, I think they would be motivated if they knew why and what they were doing it for.”
Smallholders should take a leaf from plantation companies which are taking measures to mend the forest. Some companies have built bridges over boundary drains to help the animals get to their food source.
Gaining admission to the Roundtable On Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) through conservation activities makes good business sense for these enterprises as more and more consumers demand sustainable palm oil. Some resort operators are also doing their part. Myne Resort in Kampung Bilit, for instance, has dedicated 40.5ha of forest to the observation and research of pachyderms and primates.
Scare them away
How do smallholders deal with elephants using their land as a highway? “We don’t give them advice on dealing with intrusions,” says Kertijah. “Usually, a Elephant Control Unit under the Wildlife Department will come to the rescue. At the moment, many planters erect electric fences or use burnt tyres (elephants hate the smell of burnt rubber) to keep them away.” Village folk are more emphatic. “Of course they are scared because of the size of the elephants, but they are not angry. They have traditional knowledge for handling such situations. The animals don’t cause much damage, but this is subjective. I think if there are no obstacles in their way, the damage is less, says Kertijah.”
Have decades of conservation work paid off? Kertijah opines that things are looking up for Kinabatangan. “People are becoming more aware of how special this place is. Many enabling factors such as corporate support, an open-minded local community, scientific research, policies and standard operating procedures are in place. It is just a matter of political will for the vision to be realised,” she says.
Kertijah’s great hope is for the heritage of Kinabatangan to be better protected for future generations through its gazettement as a Special Area, where only prescribed activities are carried out.
To get involved in the tree-planting, contact Kertijah Abdul Kadir at kertijahakadir@gmail.com.
