ENVIRONMENT

KLK emphasises on the protection and conservation of our natural environment.
This element is disseminated to our operations through the following commitments:

KLK operates in some of the most diverse landscapes in the world, with our landbank extending across Malaysia (Peninsula and Sabah), Indonesia (Belitung Island, Sumatra Central and East Kalimantan) and Liberia. In order to protect and conserve our natural environment and reduce biodiversity loss, we are committed to ensuring that sustainable practices are implemented in all our operations with a focus on:

OUR LATEST ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

  • The 7s Team conducting night monitoring at the conflict areas, to track and identify the movement of the elephant through the traces of footprints, faeces and damages on the vegetation.

  • Formulating SOPs for managing the Human-Elephant Conflict issues at the recent workshop in Kota Kinabalu. Among the stakeholders involved were the NGOs, the 7s Team members, Earthworm Foundation and government agencies, including representatives from Sabah Wildlife Department.

  • Children with the mascots, Aki and Sunny, during the celebration of World Elephant Day at KSN’s Desa Talisai South Estate in Sandakan.

  • The 7s Team member explaining the special tools used during monitoring activities to the Humana school pupils.

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The Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Project

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK) and the Earthworm Foundation (EF) have partnered to implement the Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Project in the Ulu Muanad community in Beluran District, Sabah. The project aims to strengthen the local resilience in navigating the challenges associated with oil palm cultivation, particularly the human-elephant conflicts, and to manage them through targeted monitoring and mitigation efforts.

The Ulu Muanad community is also crop supplying smallholders to KLK Group’s Desa Talisai Palm Oil Mill in Beluran District. The community has been struggling with the escalating issue of elephant intrusion since 2015, which has caused significant damage to crops and posed a safety risk to the community.

In 2019, a self-initiated community patrolling team, known as the 7’s Team, alongside the HEC committee involving the affected surrounding stakeholders, was established to devise long-term strategies for managing the human-elephant conflict in the landscape of Ulu Muanad and its surrounding vicinity. The 7’s Team actively surveyed approximately 9,000 hectares of land and monitored the movements of elephants in this landscape. The project also includes the establishment of a WhatsApp platform for the trained monitoring team to take immediate action in response to reported HEC cases, with the advice of the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Other activities in the project includes the formulation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing the HEC issues and the organisation of World Elephant Day to raise awareness among the local communities and industry players. Future efforts will include the installation of monitoring devices, such as wildlife camera traps to better understand the movement of elephants and other wildlife at the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserves buffer zone.

KLK is proud to provide crucial funding for this project, which is being implemented in close collaboration with the dedicated team, the local community, and other stakeholders. These efforts strongly align with KLK’s broader sustainability goals, which promote sustainable practices across the operations, including biodiversity conservation and protection.

  • The Malayan Tiger.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU)

  • The Malayan Tiger.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU).

  • The Menraq patrol team.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU).

  • On-ground training session conducted by Perak State Park Corporation representative.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU).

  • Introduction of patrolling and rescue equipments to the patrol team.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU).

  • KLK donated food items to Orang Asli community.
    (photo courtesy of RIMAU).

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RIMAU

As part of KLK’s commitment to environmental stewardship in protecting our forests and peatlands, we have collaborated with Persatuan Pelindung Harimau Malaysia (RIMAU) to support their tiger conservation initiative. RIMAU is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving the Malayan Tiger by conducting anti-poaching patrols. The patrol area includes the Royal Belum State Park and the Temenggor/Amanjaya Forest Reserve in Perak, which are essential areas that provide large mammals, especially the Malayan Tiger, with substantial roaming areas to meet their biological needs.

Through this collaboration, KLK has been supporting RIMAU since 2022 in their efforts to train, equip, and deploy the Menraq patrol team, which consists of Orang Asli youth from the Jahai tribe, to mitigate poaching activities. The formation of Menraq, meaning “people” in the Jahai language, is aimed at nurturing a sense of ownership in wildlife conservation among the local Jahai community living in the Royal Belum State Park. This initiative also provides job opportunities for the local indigenous community and empowers them to take action and protect their environment. This project is important to KLK not only for its purpose but also due to its location being within our home state/headquarters of the Group. At present, RIMAU manages approximately 70 Menraq patrollers.

  • Group photo of KLK-BORA.

  • Ficus sp. seedlings, propagated in KLK Estate Nursery.

  • Planting of Napier grass and Ficus tree by KLKS and BORA personnel.
    These Ficus trees will be a mother plant and root stock for BORA in getting sufficient seedling in the future.

  • Planting of Napier grass and Ficus tree by KLKS and BORA personnel.
    These Ficus trees will be a mother plant and root stock for BORA in getting sufficient seedling in the future.

  • Repaired bridge at Tabin Wildlife-Tomanggong Road.

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BORA

Launched in 2021, KLK Sabah (KLKS) collaborated with the Bring Back Our Rare Animals (BORA) on habitat restoration for wildlife pastures/grazing at Former Jalan Tomanggong, Lahad Datu and riparian/buffer zone within KLKS plantations covering 215.94ha. Through this collaboration, we aspire to enrich and restore habitat for the endangered wildlife species within the surrounding areas, particularly at the collaboration site.

The project focused on restoring the grazing pastures within the fringes of Sabah’s Tabin Wildlife Reserve (10ha), to boost the food supply for elephants and Tembadau or Bornean Banteng. KLKS also collaborated with BORA on Jungle Rehabilitation at Matamba Area (Secondary Jungle between Rimmer Estate & Tungku Estate), covering 22ha.

KLK’s achievements through collaboration with BORA:

  • Installed camera traps to monitor the demography, behaviour, body condition and activities of the Tembadau and other wildlife animals at the grazing area.
  • Supplied and restored damaged, dead or washed-out trees from flooding, with the result of 1,340 trees planted at the former Jalan Tomanggong & Matamba area.
  • Receive world recognition – Champion in the Hornbill Award 2021.

  • Forest cover in one of the village forests in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

  • A canopy of forest trees in one of the village forests in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

  • A species of bird found in one of the village forests in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

  • Eco-tourism along the downstream of the Dumaring River, Indonesia.

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KONTANDES

Konservasi Hutan Desa (KONTANDES) is a collaborative forest and biodiversity conservation project in the Dumaring Village, Berau Regency (East Kalimantan) of Indonesia. This project is supported by KLK and covers a total area of 5,141 hectares. Through a participatory and multi-stakeholder approach, we hope to achieve high-quality forests while sustainably promoting community welfare.

Learn More About KONTANDES