Kota Kinabalu: With its rich biodiversity, it is not surprising that the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, which is located in the eastern part of Sabah, has gained popularity as an excellent place for nature-based activities.
But more importantly, the reserve has shown that conservation and oil palm plantations can coexist under the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature-Malaysia’s Living Landscapes Approach (LLA) framework within the Sabah Landscapes Programme (SLP).
The LLA outlines three core pillars namely Protect, Produce and Restore. It combines conservation and sustainable development by integrating forest protection, wildlife and rivers, with Round- table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified production of oil palm, and restoration of ecological corridors and riparian reserves.
WWF-Malaysia Sustaina- ble Agriculture senior manager Max Donysius said the conservation measures included planting hundreds of fast-growing trees to establish an ecological corridor in the plantations, connecting the Tabin Forest Reserve to the Silabukan Forest Reserve, which can improve degraded habitat.
SPONSORED CONTENT Daily Express members: Enjoy 1 for 1 signature cocktails and more at Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu: DAILY EXPRESS is partnering with Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu to offer an exclusive deal for our members. Read more He said in Sabah, the LLA framework is used by WWF-Malaysia on three projects: The Tabin Landscape, the Tawau Landscape and the Lower Sugut Landscape, adding that the Tabin Landscape is funded by German’s Beiersdorf AG, the producer of the Nivea cream.
“We are collaborating with various stakeholders from the state government, plantations, smallholders and community leaders such as Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, Bring Back Our Rare Animals (BORA), Kg Teburi, Sawit Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) Link,” he told visiting journalists in Lahad Datu, recently.
Plants for nearly-extinct wildlife
The Tabin Wildlife Reserve (123,779ha) was established in 1984, with additional areas incorporated into the reserve. It is surrounded by oil palm plantations, including the Silabukan Forest Reserve (10,600ha) and the Kulamba Wildlife Sanctuary (20,682ha).
It holds the largest Bornean oran- gutan population with 1,250 individuals and is also home to other endemic species such as Bornean elephants (350), banteng (50) and Sunda clouded leopard (40).
In June, Bernama and five other Sabah journalists were invited by WWF-Malaysia Sabah Landscape Programme to visit Tabin Landscape as part of its LLA project with palm oil companies, wildlife experts and local communities.
On the itinerary was a tour of the Sabah Ficus Germplasm Centre (SFGC) managed by BORA. The site was surrounded by 120,000ha of the fully protected forest of Tabin Wildlife Reserve, rich in wildlife including elephants, sun bears, orangutans and gibbons, all of which eat large amounts of figs.
In fact, SFGC is also recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records in 2021 for housing Malaysia’s largest collection of Ficus species.
Formerly known as the Borneo Rhino Alliance, BORA has now rebranded itself as “Bring Back Our Rare Animals”, following the extinction of the rhinoceros, offering more opportunities for other endangered species to thrive and survive.
Previously, the centre which was established about 15 years ago, played a crucial role in cultivating food specifically for Sabah’s last three Sumatran rhinos — Puntung, Kertam and Iman — which resided at the nearby Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin.
Female rhino Iman, the state’s last rhino, died on Nov 23, 2019, after a long battle with uterine tumour, signifying the extinction of her species, while Kertam died in May of the same year and Puntung in June 2017.
BORA field manager Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin said the centre had successfully bred over 90 out of the 150 ficus species found in Sabah since 2011 as a means to supply food to rhinos.
“The (ficus) trees exhibit faster growth and bear more fruits compared to other trees, making them ideal for feeding a variety of animals.
“With the death of the last rhino in Sabah, we realised that we had inadvertently created a unique garden,” he said, adding that currently BORA has planted more than 6,500 fig plants around the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
The 64-year-old veterinarian said the fresh leaves of wild ficus trees were Bornean rhinos’ favourite food, but with the death of the last of the species, BORA found itself left with a veritable garden which could be used to feed other animals.
“We also supply marcots to some oil palm estates where the management expressed interest in cultivating food plants for wild orangutans within the estates in 2018, in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia.
“Under Malaysian Sustain- able Palm Oil (MSPO) standards, if endangered species or high biodiversity values are present in a plantation, appropriate measures for management planning and operations are required,” he said.
Mini monument of rhino’s demise
Zainal Zahari said among the ficus species planted in the Germplasm centre is ficus macrocarpa, which can grow to a large size in swampy areas, and racemosa, locally known as “tangkol”, a riverside native providing edible fruits to humans.
Others include crassiramea, a large strangling fig which fruits are favoured by hornbills; minahassae, found only in eastern Sabah, Sulawesi and the Philippines; and several species that offer potential as livestock feed, he added.
At the SFGC nursery, we saw several stone formations of the rhino, resembling rhinos’ burial ground, with its name carved beneath ficus trees.
In memory of the rhinos, Zainal Zahari said he carved a personal tribute on a stone at the rhinos’ burial site within the centre, a testament to his years of dedication in preserving the species until their last moments.
“Even though they are no longer with us, we are still steadfast here in protecting the endangered wildlife by continuing this nursery,” he said.
It’s no wonder that Zainal Zahari is often mistaken for a plant expert rather than a veterinarian.
Bornean Banteng
Under the “Protect” pillar, WWF-Malaysia is also collaborating with BORA to monitor the population of Bornean banteng in Tabin, which is classified as endangered and endemic in Sabah.
We were also brought to the pasture enrichment site which is 2.5km long and 10m wide on both sides, developed for Bornean banteng.
“It looks like a golf course,” Zainal Zahari, who was accompanied by BORA ED Datuk Dr John Payne, said in jest while plucking plants that looked like weeds.
The banteng pasture was developed as part of the Bornean Banteng Action Plan, supported by the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department, WWF-Malaysia and BORA.
Payne said currently only 326 Bornean banteng species remain, with the largest known population of 52 individuals found in Tabin.
“The grass here is not native. It was planted with some artificial salt licks placed at the pastures as
part of the habitat enrichment to provide additional minerals, as well as supple grass for the banteng to lie on.
“By doing this, the species will benefit from greater nutrition, adequate water, and space for safety and play,” he said, adding that it is also consumed by other wildlife such as wild boars.
Payne, who brings with him years of experience with rhino species from 1970s to 2019 in both Malaysia and Indonesia, hopes to see the world adopt wildlife management practices rather than mere conservation.
“The Bornean banteng should be prioritised as they might be the next species to face extinction.
“They have a very low breeding rate, high calf mortality, and camera trap images show that they are often malnourished due to a lack of sufficient food to support successful breeding.
“The best banteng habitats are now no longer in a forest or protected areas — they are mainly in marginal habitats. Hence, we have decided to develop pastures here, and it seems to be working,” Payne said.
Two calves were born each year between 2019 and 2021. This year, four calves were born (last year: Six) with at least two cows heavily pregnant to date.
Banteng, or wild cattle of Borneo, is classified as “Endangered” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It is also listed under Schedule 1 in the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 — affording it full protection.
Electrical Fence, Wildlife Corridors
To protect palm oil plantations from being attacked by wildlife such as Bornean elephants and orangutans, WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Wildlife Department have also assisted in establishing a human-elephant conflict (HEC) working group committee, led by the Lahad Datu District office since March 2021.
It also comprises some 16 oil palm plantation companies with a landbank of between 60ha to 3,600ha around the district.
According to WWF-Malaysia’s Donysius, one of the main objectives of the committee is to jointly install 50 to 60km of electric fences at the Tungku region bordering the Tabin reserve.
“The initiative is expected to take up to three years to complete. Once completed, it is anticipated that the HEC situation or crop damages will be substantially reduced.
“Communities living in the south of the Tungku region, mainly near the coastal areas, will also indirectly benefit from the fences installed through this initiative,” he said.
HEC is a negative interaction between people and elephants, which intensifies into incidents of conflict, often leading to loss of lives for the elephants due to retaliatory killing, besides causing damage to crops and property.
WWF-Malaysia landscape lead Donna Simon said it is crucial that electric fences are jointly installed to deter elephants from entering oil palm plantations.
“The Bornean elephant population is endangered and could face extinction in our lifetime, with its population in Sabah estimated at fewer than 1,500 in the wild.
“Close cooperation is needed between neighbouring plantations to jointly install electric fences at the landscape level and to ensure habitat connectivity between fragmented forests.
“This is crucial to ensure the continued access of elephants between fragmented forests and for better protection of their crops,” she said.
As of May 2023, about 86% of the plantation companies have already installed electric fences in the Tungku region, while the remaining 9.5% are in various stages of installation.
She said in addition, the Bagahak Corridor has also been planted with trees to connect the Tabin and Silabukan reserves, a project that began a year ago. As of now, approximately 10 hectares have been planted with fast-growing trees and figs.
“The trees were planted along a 4km stretch of Sg Iban, a river that runs through Bagahak Estate 1 plantation. The planting was carried out up to 50m from each side of the riverbank or riparian area.”
The corridor will protect the orangutan population residing in the Tabin and Silabukan reserves adjacent to the plantation.
“Currently, approximately 1,200 orangutans inhabit the eastern lowlands of Tabin, while 50 individuals reside in Silabukan,” she said.
Sawit Kinabalu Group sustainability GM Nazlan Mohamad said, the company has recently teamed up with WWF-Malaysia to conduct a 2km general transect survey with a few camera traps installed along the corridor in Bagahak Estate 1.
“Based on WWF-Malaysia’s data, 40 species of animals in total are recorded along the corridor, which include several rare, threatened and endangered species.
“This is set as a baseline for wildlife found along the corridor, in the first year of planting. An annual wildlife survey will be conducted to monitor the ecological changes along the corridor,” he added.
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