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(first from left) Dr John Tay Ah Min, Head of Conservation, Sabah WWF-Malaysia; (seventh from left) Kenji Hata, General Manager of AEON CO. (M) BHD; (sixth from right) Poh Ying Loo, Executive Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD.; (fifth from right)Datuk Sam Mannan, the Chief Conservator of Forests of Sabah Forestry Department; (fourth from right) Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of WWF-Malaysia; and officials from the Sabah Forestry Department and AEON representatives at the conservation site
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Conservation
efforts by AEON CO. (M) BHD. together with the WorldWide Fund for Nature
(WWF-Malaysia) and the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) came to a conclusion at
the official handover of the initiative today. The handover was recommended
after verification that the restoration efforts have led to some positive
improvements of Bukit Piton, Class 1 Forest Reserve, including Blocks 111-10
and 111-18 of 77 hectares.
Bukit Piton, located at the northern part of the Ulu Segama-Malua Forest Reserve, fell victim to extensive logging, unsustainable practices and forest fires between 1959 to 2007, which resulted in a degraded ecosystem. In 2011, AEON CO. (M) BHD. partnered with WWF-Malaysia and SFD to restore the 77 hectares through the planting of various indigenous tree species with the hope of rebuilding habitats for orang utans.
Bukit Piton, located at the northern part of the Ulu Segama-Malua Forest Reserve, fell victim to extensive logging, unsustainable practices and forest fires between 1959 to 2007, which resulted in a degraded ecosystem. In 2011, AEON CO. (M) BHD. partnered with WWF-Malaysia and SFD to restore the 77 hectares through the planting of various indigenous tree species with the hope of rebuilding habitats for orang utans.
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| Poh Ying Loo, Executive Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD. delivering his opening address at the official Bukit Piton Forest handover at Lahad Datu |
In 2005, WWF-Malaysia conducted a survey which revealed the alarming decline of orang utans in the Ulu Segama district[1]. Isolated by the Segama River located south of the forest and oil palm plantations in the north, excessive logging brought about a habitat that deprived the orang utans from food, trees to nest and to receive shelter from adverse weather conditions, thus diminishing their survival rate.
One part of the project was to recreate a thriving environment for the orangutans by planting trees such as Laran (Neolamarckia Cadamba) and Binuang (Octomeles Sumatrana) to support the weight of the orang utans, as well as to sustain nesting.
Datuk Sam Mannan; Chief Conservator of Forests, Sabah Forestry Department stated: “Over the years of preservation, we have spotted more female orang utans with babies within the reserve. This is a positive sign, as it means that the orang utans no ware able to source for food, breed, nest and build homes in the designated areas. In addition, the fact that the orang utans are in a natural setting means it ensures their survivability and eventually thrive in a maturing reforested area. We are very honoured to work alongside AEON and WWF–Malaysia to bring about this change for the better.”
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(second from right) Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of WWF-Malaysia handing over a complete report of the initiative to (third from left) Datuk Sam Mannan, the Chief Conservator of Forests of Sabah Forestry Department, witnessed by (first from left) Dr John Tay Ah Min, Head of Conservation, Sabah WWF-Malaysia; (second from left) Poh Ying Loo, Executive Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD.; and (first from right) Kenji Hata, General Manager of AEON Co. (M) BHD.
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“We must realise that Mother Earth is our home, and if we do not take ownership to ensure that it is well-looked after, then we will have no legacy left for our next generation. Because of this, AEON is motivated to cement an initiative towards ecological sustenance by continuing to take our tree planting initiatives to the next level,” ended Poh.
The handing over of the Project Site was received by Datuk Sam Mannan, the Chief Conservator of Forests of Sabah Forestry Department. This was witnessed by Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of WWF-Malaysia; Poh Ying Loo, Executive Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD.; Kenji Hata, General Manager of AEON Co. (M) BHD.; officials from the Sabah Forestry Department and AEON representatives.
Interested to get to know about Malaysian AEON Foundation (MAF),
Website : www.aeonretail.com.my
Facebook : www.facebook/aeonretail.com
[1]http://www.wwf.org.my/?17985/WWF-calls-participation-for-strengthening-orangutan-conservation-in-Borneo
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