Change of Heart: Taking Action to Protect Wildlife in Kinabatangan

Wildlife footprints were recently spotted on soil covered culvert crossings that were built by an oil palm plantation at Kinabatangan, an ecologically sensitive area. Malbumi Group of Companies constructed nine concrete culvert crossings to connect drains and rivers within Lot 1 of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary to enable wildlife to cross from one side of the sanctuary to another.

“We felt sorry for disturbing their natural habitat when we proceeded with our plantations. Thus, to clear our conscience and to make it positive, we now hope to do our best in taking good care of them,” said Mr Edward Ang, the Managing Director of Malbumi Group of Companies.

He said when Malbumi first started clearing land in 1995 he noticed that there were wildlife like orang-utans, proboscis monkeys and Borneo pygmy elephants on its land. According to Mr Ang, his company has helped in freeing a herd of 15 to 20 elephants trapped in a pool. “With supervision from the wildlife authority, we managed to free the elephants using heavy machinery like bulldozers and excavators,” he said.

“Malaysia has been a major palm oil producer over the years and this is because we are situated in an environment that permits us to do so. We must continuously do our best to protect the environment so that we can continue to produce the best palm oil efficiently,” Mr Ang said.

Malbumi has been studying the WWF-Malaysia “Kinabatangan–Corridor of Life” project to learn how to best manage wildlife found within and close to its estates. The  estates that cover about 5,200 hectares (13,000 acres) is situated near Sukau and Sungai Tenegang which are adjacent to Lot 1 of the wildlife sanctuary, and is also close to Lokan that lies next to the Segaliud Lokan forest reserve.

Mr Ang said the palm oil industry has reaped good harvest in recent years, and that it would be good if the planters along the Kinabatangan River to donate a small portion of their revenue to help the Sabah Wildlife Department and NGOs like WWF-Malaysia to sustain the viability of wildlife populations in the country. “Malbumi is also considering becoming a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) once it ventures into palm oil mills with its partners,” said Mr Ang.

A workshop on RSPO organised recently in Sandakan by WWF-Malaysia and the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) was informative. Mr Ang said that the workshop gave him and his team better insight on how to best set higher standards in tackling environmental issues and ways to improve protection of wildlife.

When asked what advice he had for other palm oil companies in Kinabatangan, he said, “Only humans have the power and ability to ensure the future of wildlife, so we need to start making that difference.”

Malbumi is also supporting a reforestation programme adjacent to its plantation, and has to date supplied and planted 2,000 native forest tree seedlings at the riparian areas. The company has spent RM200,000 on its wildlife conservation programme, including funds used to purchase machinery and materials to help the Sabah Wildlife Department and non-governmental organisations create a more sustainable environment for the wildlife located in these areas.

Mr Ang concluded by saying, “In today’s business world, it’s important to take care of the environment. Businesses and the environment are very similar to the story of the goose laying the golden egg. The “goose” is the environment, and if it is not cared for, we will one day lose our businesses, or “golden eggs”.


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About WWF-Malaysia:
WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia), the national conservation trust, currently runs more than 75 projects covering a diverse range of environmental protection work. Since 1972, WWF-Malaysia has worked on important conservation projects, from saving endangered species such as tigers and turtles, to protecting our highland forests, rivers and seas. We also undertake environmental education and advocacy work to achieve conservation goals. By conserving our natural resources, WWF-Malaysia is helping to protect our livelihoods, food and water supply, thus securing our good quality of life and our children’s bright future. We thank our supporters whose donations are our lifeblood. If you would like to donate to WWF-Malaysia or learn more about our projects, please call: +603-78033772 or visit our website at: wwf.org.my


About WWF-Malaysia’s “Kinabatangan – Corridor of Life” Project:
The Kinabatangan floodplain is the largest and most important wetland in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.   It is the habitat for wildlife such as the endemic Borneo Pygmy elephant, orang-utans, Proboscis monkeys and many others.  The opportunity to view and get close to the wildlife has made the area a highly valued eco-tourism site for the State of Sabah.  However, it is also the State’s number one site for the planting of oil palm due to its extremely fertile soil. The overall objective of this proposed programme is to achieve sustainable development where employment and visitor revenues increased in the forest areas within the Corridor of Life with corporate or individual ownership and simultaneous stabilization of wildlife populations. Within the Malaysian context, the K-CoL Project is also crucial as a link between two other transboundary WWF projects, the Heart of Borneo (HoB) and Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME). For more info on KCoL, please visit our webpage at http://wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests_main/kinabatangan___corridor_of_life/


About Malbumi Group of Estates
Planting of oil palm trees started in 1995 and the Group has an approximately 13,000 acres of palm oil plantations. Their estates are spread over few areas along the Kinabatangan River. The Group is not only focused on palm oil but they also have a huge portfolio in property development, quarry, and cement sand brick and heavy machinery.  With 14 companies under the Group, a total of 250 staff works for this esteemed organization.


For media queries, please contact:
Alvin Naden, Communications Manager, Borneo Programme, WWF-Malaysia (Sabah) Tel (office): +6088 266 420 (ext 19)/ Mobile: +6012 635 2207, E-mail: anaden@wwf.org.my

For information on WWF-Malaysia’s “Kinabatangan – Corridor of Life” Project, please contact:
Max Donysius, (Title), WWF-Malaysia (Sabah), Tel: +6088 262 420 Ext.50, Email: MDonysius@wwf.org.my