SANDAKAN: A team from the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), together with 19 undergraduate and master’s students from Cardiff University, recently planted Ficus seedlings at Hillco Plantation to help secure a long-term food source for Borneo’s wild orangutans and hornbills.
The tree-planting exercise, now in its second year, was carried out in a High Conservation Value (HCV) area within the plantation.
To improve the seedlings’ chances of survival, the team planted them halfway up existing trees to protect them from seasonal floodwaters. Each seedling was also wrapped in wire mesh to prevent macaques from pulling them down.
DGFC Director Dr Benoit Goossens said this year’s planting carried special significance, as it was dedicated to the memory of two late conservationists – Professor Michael Bruford, a molecular ecologist and conservation geneticist from Cardiff University, and Peter Riger, the long-serving Conservation Director of Houston Zoo.
“These incredible men, who left us too early, were among DGFC’s strongest supporters since its infancy,” said Benoit.
The event was also attended by two prominent figures in Malaysian conservation: Dr Junaidi Payne, author of Mammals of Borneo with more than 50 years of conservation experience in Sabah, and Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin, a pioneer in Sumatran rhinoceros conservation who managed the nursery where the Ficus seedlings were propagated.
Both are leaders of the organisation Bringing Back Our Rare Animals.
Benoit said the initiative forms part of an ongoing partnership to make agricultural landscapes more hospitable to native wildlife. He also expressed appreciation to Felda Global Ventures (FGV) and Hillco Estate for their continued support, with special thanks to Hillco Estate senior manager Peter Soibun and FGV Head of Services Mark Martin.