KINABATANGAN: Sabah’s conservation drive gained momentum on Thursday with the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Orangutan Diplomacy Programme at the Sungai Pin Conservation Area (SPnCA).
The MoU, signed earlier between the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) and Sawit Kinabalu’s subsidiary Borneo Samudera Sdn Bhd, was exchanged by Plantation and Commodities Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Yusran Shah Mohd Yusof and Sawit Kinabalu Managing Director Datuk Victor Ationg.
Yusran, who also chairs the MPOGCF Board of Trustees, said the initiative would secure orangutan habitats from plantation activity and uncontrolled tourism, and was timely following Kinabatangan’s designation as Malaysia’s newest Unesco Biosphere Reserve on Sept 27.
He commended Sawit Kinabalu for setting aside 2,632 hectares in Sungai Pin Estate as a High Conservation Value area, estimated to shelter 55 orangutans, and announced a RM20,000 allocation to support the programme.
Ationg said SPnCA reflects the possibility of balancing palm oil development with biodiversity protection, community empowerment, and ecotourism, while strengthening Sabah’s role as a leader in sustainable palm oil production.