Villagers Helping With Reforestation

Sunset along the Kinabatangan River, Sabah -- SJ Echo

By Sakini Mohd Said It takes collective effort to conserve and rehabilitate something as vast and majestic as Sabah's Kinabatangan River, which has been subject to pollution by irresponsible agricultural practices for decades. However, is everyone willing to get onboard? Part two of this three-series article looks into the challenges of the endeavour. KINABATANGAN (Bernama) -- Every middle of the month, Masruna Musa would get up at 5am and prepare to venture into the forest along the Kinabatangan River. The 40-year-old of the Buludupih tribe would don gloves and knee-high black rubber boots and leave the house armed with a pail and a machete. Along with another friend, she would head out to the jetty in Kampung Bilit and cross the Kinabatangan River by boat. They were on a mission to harvest tree saplings. Not one, but hundreds of them. "What we are looking for are saplings that are just slightly below the knee in height. We need to dig out the roots as well but there is no need to immediately replant them. Just place them in the pail," she explained to the writer. If they were unable to harvest a sufficient amount from an area, they would travel to another area to fulfill their mission. One might wonder what these women were doing, harvesting saplings from a biodiversity-rich forest. Were they not being destructive towards a forest environment that was already under threat? NOT THE CULPRITS Masruna and her friend were definitely not the ones responsible for the declining water quality and murkiness of the nation's second longest river. If anything, they were one of its saviours. The two are part of a group called Komuniti Anak Pokok Kinabatangan (Kapok), which members comprise villagers from around the district of Kinabatangan. They are strong advocates of environmental sustainability. They scout for and supply saplings and seeds for sale to various quarters including Nestle (Malaysia) Berhad through its Kinabatangan riverbank reforestation project, RiLeaf. "We will bring these saplings home and submerge the roots in water for a week before planting it in polybags under the shade around the house. "The seeds and seedlings, meanwhile, would be directly planted into polybags. We only collect the seeds or saplings of the "bayur", "sengkuang", "bongkol" or "payung-payung" tree," she explained. That is why if one were to walk past houses in villages like Kampung Bilit, Perpaduan, one would find many saplings lined up nearly around it. "It is cared for well, fertilised and watered. After six to eight months, when it has reached maturity, it can be sold for the purpose of reforestation by the Kinabatangan River," said Masruna. CONNECTING FORESTS It is hope that the reforestation efforts would help connect patches of forests along the river that have been wiped out due to the poor management operation of logging and oil palm plantation companies. The reforestation would take place over an area spanning 2,400 hectares along 110km of the lower part of the Kinabatangan River. Nestle Agricultural Officer Kertijah Abdul Kadir said RiLeaf was in support of the state government's effort in working towards forest connectivity. The Sime Darby Foundation is assisting Nestle with project by providing funds for its daily operations as well as related initiatives and activities. NEW TARGET However, the area covered by the project is only a fraction of a 32,000-hectare restoration effort initiated by the Sabah government and WWF-Malaysia under the Kinabatangan Restoration Roadmap. "The 2,400 hectares only covers the area around the Kinabatangan riverbank from Lot 1 to Lot 10C of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. The reforestation in each block takes place in identified gaps in the forests. "The wildlife sanctuary covers 12 blocks of jungle and forest reserves along the river that have been disconnected by agricultural developments and haphazard acquisition," said Kertijah. RiLeaf has targeted to plant 200,000 trees in two years starting 2016. It has previously planted 484,580 trees of varying species since 2011. Reforestation is a two-pronged approach to remedying the destruction caused by land clearing and agricultural activities. First, it creates a natural buffer zone to prevent soil erosion and the flow of chemical wastes into the river. It is also a rehabilitation measure of the corridor of life for thousands of wild species along the Kinabatangan River, restoring their habitats, food source and facilitating the migration of unique species. THE IMPORTANCE OF A BUFFER ZONE According to an environmental NGO called Hutan, agricultural activities have changed the landscape of the jungle and disrupted its ecosystem. Its scientific director Dr Marc Ancrenaz said several species in the Kinabatangan have already become extinct, such as the rhinoceros and tembadau (wild cattle). The populations of Orang Utan, proboscis monkey and clouded leopard, meanwhile, have been decreasing at an alarming rate. Ancrenaz said the decline and extinction were due to agricultural activities, logging and poaching. Kertijah admitted that the rehabilitation of a forest was no easy feat, as they had to deal with a number of challenges in ensuring the newly-planted trees survive. "It is challenging to keep the trees alive as wild animals prowl the same area in search of food. Wild monkeys tend to uproot the plants and chew on stem," she said. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDEBAR After six to eight months of nurturing the saplings that they have previously hunted for, the villagers will be able to sell them to Nestle for RM1.50 a tree. "If Nestle buys from me 1,000 trees, I would have earned RM1,500. Nestle will buy from us two or three times a year," said Masruna. Kertijah said four villages were actively involved in the reforestation efforts namely Kampung Abai, Bilit, Sentosa Jaya and Perpaduan. "They are involved in scouring for the seeds and saplings, the replanting process, the marking, monitoring as well as upkeep of the replanted trees," she said. Some RM207,305 have been allocated for the process since the project begun in 2011. BERNAMA

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