Forest rehabilitation in Sabah benefits forests, wildlife and birdwatchers

There used to be lots of orangutan in the Ulu Segama-Malua Class 1 Protected Forest Reserve in the Lower Kawag area near Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia. This is close to the Danum River and the Danum Valley, which is a protected Conservation Area to the west of the Forest Reserve we were visiting. There’s plenty of other wildlife in the area, we saw evidence of elephants – their droppings are hard to miss – and there are plenty of birds including hornbills. But the forest in this area is severely degraded due to past logging activities from the 1980s, compounded by major fires during El Niño events in 1983 and again in 1997/98. Forest rehabilitation is needed in this area of around 2500 hectares to restore the landscape and habitats of endangered species which make the forest their home.

Why Forest rehabilitation?

The first thing you’ll notice is that the degraded area looks green and lush, but you don’t have to look hard to see that the vegetation is mostly low growing ground cover, bushes and smaller trees. It’s not easy to walk through without chopping a path as you go as the loss of forest trees allows generalist species and invasive plants to flourish. There are very few tall trees, but the few there are, show easily the area that has been damaged.  In a healthy forest, the area below the canopy is the ‘understory’, which is warm, humid, and dimly lit. It’s relatively open and easier for animals, including humans, to walk through. The upper layers trap moisture keeping the air damp, warm and still. The ten year forest rehabilitation project between 2019 and 2029 is being implemented by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) and Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF). This collaboration is one of a number of projects in Sabah supported by MPOGCF, who list their aims on their website as:

1) Encourage and support conservation initiatives and sustainable practices within the palm oil industry
2) Initiate and support reforestation programs of degraded forests
3) Provide funding assistance for wildlife and biodiversity research
4) Provide funding for conservation activities including related promotional activities and awareness programs

You can get more information on the Sabah Forestry Department Website or Facebook and check out their Forestry Dept project website for more detailed information on this project.

What the project is doing, is to return the jungle to its natural state, where tall trees exist in their natural layers and takes many years to become fully mature. The project seeks to do this in stages within each phase. First, fast growing softwood trees are planted, which quickly form a canopy which can protect the young hardwood saplings which are then planted underneath. The saplings are sourced from the forest tree nursery of Kampung Tampenau, which we passed on the way into the protected area. In the first 6 years of the project, they have supplied over 100,000 saplings to the Forestry Department.

Phase 2 of the project is well underway and it is here that we had the opportunity to plant different hardwood species, prepared ready for us. Lessons learnt in Phase One have been applied to Phase two, including protection of the young trees. Elephants roam in herds across the area and damage young trees, so the use of electric fences in Phase Two has helped considerably.

Highly favoured are Dipterocarp trees (Dipterocarpaceae), a major family of tall tropical hardwoods which can grow to between 40 and 70 meters tall with straight trunks, winged seeds, and valuable timber. Well known examples include Red and Yellow Meranti, Chengal, Balau, and Kapur, though not all are native to Sabah and not included in this project.

Kampung Tampenau is a rural village located in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia, near the Ulu Segama-Malua and Lower Kawag Forest Reserves. It is well-known for community-based rainforest restoration and local forest tree nursery initiatives that help rehabilitate degraded orangutan habitats. They work closely with their project partners Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) and the Sabah Forestry Department. Inquiries regarding the Ulu Segama-Malua rehabilitation project can be sent via the Sabah Forestry Department Website.

The villagers of Kampung Tampenau are a great fit for the forest rehabilitation project.  Over a hundred villagers, mainly women, are involved in running their community nursery (Komuniti Nurseri Kampung Tampenau) growing native rainforest tree seedlings. They were very generous in sharing their knowledge and giving tips on how to remove pests like bats (see the video). This empowers local women, generating a sustainable income through seed collection and seedling cultivation. They have already sold over a hundred thousand saplings to the project. Many more will be needed for the final and very much larger Phase 3, due to begin soon.

Not only did we have the opportunity to meet with the residents and learn from them, we also enjoyed the chance to try out making music. All the drums are tapping out a slightly different rhythm and it’s way more difficult that it looks. Likewise, joining them in a communal dance. Fun, but it needs considerable concentration. We concluded our visit with a very tasty home cooked meal, with some special dishes of river snails rice wrapped in leaves for starters.

Getting in touch

Because Kampung Tampenau is a rural community, they don’t have a centralised corporate office or dedicated website or email. Instead, communication is handled directly by local community leaders and nursery representatives via Facebook and phone. The Community Leaders we met were very welcoming and very proud to share what they are doing. For official village matters or local events, you can get in touch with members of the Kampung Tampenau Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK):

• Tn. Leonard Ganis (JKKK Committee): +60 11-3151 8321
• Jaini Impin (Community Liaison): +60 14-852 3142
• Edwin Galikin (Community Liaison): +60 13-887 5015

If you are trying to contact them regarding tree planting, purchasing native rainforest seedlings, or to see their conservation work, use these links to contact them on Facebook. They have a JKKK Kg. Tampenau Facebook Group (This is an active community page), a Facebook Page for the Komuniti Nurseri Kg. Tampenau and the Kg Tampenau, Jln Danum General Village Facebook Page.

images/video ©ET     EconomyTraveller travelled to Sabah as a guest of Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF).