In line with the element of protecting the planet, Malaysia places
strong emphasis on the planet’s needs and is signatory to several
international conventions, including the Convention on Biodiversity 1992
(CBD2), the International Tropical Timber Agreement, and the Charter of
the Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of Tropical Forests.
The oil palm cultivation in Malaysia, is on legally designated
agricultural land, and is only planted on land that is deemed suitable
for long-term cultivation of this perennial crop. The rights of
indigenous people’s and their land rights are protected by law. Hence,
oil palm:
- is not cultivated on land gazetted as forest reserves, national parks, wildlife or game reserves. Permanent forests, covering 55.6% of Malaysia’s land remains devoted to wildlife habitat and biodiversity conservation.
- has seen fewer new plantings on degraded logged-over land zoned for agriculture
- does not cause wanton forest destruction
- is often converted from other agricultural land uses (Table 3)
As part of the commitment towards preserving biodiversity, the
Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWF) of RM 20 million
had been set up and has contributed toward programmes to protect the
wildlife surrounding oil palm plantations, surveys on orang utan
populations in Sabah, the establishment of Orang Utan Island Infant care
centre and toward the improvement of riparian reserves. The Malaysian
oil palm industry is also working with WWF on the Kinabatangan -
Corridor of Life. The Kinabatangan River is the longest river in Sabah
and its landscape is very important for its biodiversity. It is home to
over 250 bird, 50 mammal, 20 reptile, and 1,056 plant species. It is one
of two places on earth where 10 primate species can be found together,
including the orang-utan, proboscis monkey and the Bornean gibbon (the
other apparently being in the Cuyabeno Reserve in Ecuadorian Amazonia).
The Malaysian oil palm industry has shown that conservation and
development are two complementary objectives that can balanced through
sustainable resource management, supported by a regulatory framework.
Indeed, the oil palm industry is well and truly regulated with a series
of legalisation that covers land, environment, wildlife, labour and
employee matters as well as the use of pesticides.
