Freshwater Partners in Malaysia
Asiatic Development Berhad
© Asiatic Development Berhad
© WWF-Canon
© WWF-Canon
© WWF-Canon
Asiatic Development Berhad is the second largest palm oil plantation in the Lower Kinabatangan and one of WWF-Malaysia Partners for Wetlands' first partners from the oil palm sector.
In December 1999, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Forestry Department to replant an area of 15 hectares as part of a pilot tree-planting project. The focal area was the degraded riparian area along one of the Kinabatangan's main tributaries.
In November 2003, Asiatic signed another MoU to extend the total rehabilitated area to 40 hectares, effectively restoring riverine vegetation 200 feet wide along both sides of the tributary. Asiatic's contribution of land , logistical support and labour have been invaluable to the habitat restoration efforts in the Kinabatangan.
Borneo Eco Tours
"We go for ecotourism, which is very much focused on small numbers, high quality visits, with a lot of interpretation, concern for the environment and also the local community."
Borneo Eco Tours operates the Sukau Rainforest Lodge in the Lower Kinabatangan and is distinguished from other tourism businesses by its determination to adhere closely to ecotourism principles. This has involved adopting sustainable practices in its lodge and tour operations to minimise negative impacts on the environment and wildlife. In addition, initiatives are taken to ensure that tourism benefits the environment and local community. To date, Borneo Eco Tours has already received several green awards for its ecotourism packages.
In it's bid to advance sustainable nature tourism in the floodplain, Borneo Eco Tours has established it's own Sukau Ecotourism Research and Development Centre (SERDC) to research ecotourism development in the Kinabatangan in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia and the University of Malaysia Sabah.
In June 2004, Borneo Eco Tours signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Partners for Wetlands initiative to reforest 64 acres of degraded riverine forest along the bank of the Kinabatangan River, and tourists are encouraged to participate in this ongoing activity.
Borneo Eco Tours provides work and income opportunities for the local community. It purchases produce for local farmers and fishermen and employs local craftsmen to do work at its lodge. Other voluntary activities have included the clearing of weeds from one of the oxbow lakes and supplying 49 units of 400 gallon water tanks to local villagers to provide clean drinking water.
Pontian United Plantations Berhad
In April 2000, Pontian United Plantations Berhad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WWF Malaysia - Partners for Wetlands to reforest approximately 3 - 4 hectares of riverine land at their Orico estate on the southern bank of the Kinabatangan.
The objective of the tree-planting initiative was to investigate the viability of planting alternative crops on flood prone land as well as to create a buffer strip to reduce damage from floods.
Pontian United has also offered small plots of land on their Hilco estate on the north bank of the Kinabatangan to the Forest Research Centre (FRC) to set up research plots to improve techniques for replanting native wetland tree species. The FRC has plans to set up trial planting plots at the estate. Most of the current research work is being carried out on peat areas abandoned by PUPB after severe floods in 2000.
Sawit Kinabalu Berhad
Sawit Kinabalu operates the Sungai Pin Estate (8,250 hectares) located in the Batu Putih area of the Lower Kinabatangan. Largely due to extensive damage to oil palm planted in flood prone areas suffered during 2000, Sawit Kinabalu Berhad approached the WWF Malaysia Partners for Wetlands initiative in October 2002 to identify areas for collaboration.
Since then, Sawit Kinabalu has made a commitment to conserve approximately 1,155 hectares of logged-over forest 500 meters along the southern bank of the Kinabatangan River. An additional 105 hectares of flood prone land has now been earmarked for reforestation with native tree species.
Since June 2003, 4,400 flood resistant native tree species have been planted. Seedlings were provided by Partners for Wetlands intiative while Sawit Kinabalu Berhad provided labour and transportation.
There are plans to increase the species mix as planting progresses to incorporate known food species for orang utans and proboscis monkeys. Sawit Kinabalu is also hosting Forest Research Centre (FRC) research plots to study poorly documented indigenous lowland tree species to enhance further forest restoration initiatives.
Department of Irrigation and Drainage, SabahIn December 2003, WWF-Malaysia and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sabah signed a MoU to collaborate on the development of an Integrated River Basin Management Plan for the Kinabatangan.
The Sabah DID is the agency responsible for developing Integrated Catchment Management Plans for all major river basins in Sabah in accordance with the Sabah Water Resources Master Plan 1994 and the Water Resources Enactment 1998.
The plan for the immediate future is to form a District Catchment Management Committee (DCMC) headed by the Kinabatangan District Officer. The DCMC and members of this Committee will consist of public authorities administrating the Kinabatangan District, WWF-Malaysia and key stakeholders in the Kinabatangan River Catchment.
