KOTA KINABALU, May 23 (Bernama) -- State-owned plantation company, Sawit Kinabalu Bhd, Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with World Wildlife Fund - Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) to continue the rehabilitation work in a flood prone area at Sungai Pin, in the Lower Kinabatangan area.

WWF-Malaysia said that the MoU was a continuation of the rehabilitation work of 1,260 hectares of Sawit Kinabalu plantation area located 20 km along the riverbank, which started since 2003.

The MoU was inked by Sawit Kinabalu Group Managing Director Salim Mohammad and WWF-Malaysia National Programme Director Dr Donysius Sharma, and witnessed by Minister in Chief Minister's Department Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran on behalf of Chief Minister cum Chairman of Sawit Kinabalu Chairman Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

The area which has been deforested to make way for oil palm plantation has been planted with some tree species like bongkol (nauclea subdita) and sepat (mitrygna spp) with the help of the local community there with the seedlings supplied by the Sabah Forestry Research Centre.

Today more than 40,000 flood-resistant trees like bongkol and sepat have been planted in that area, which WWF- Malaysia called it as a Corridor of Life as it functions as a corridor along the Kinabatangan River which links isolated forest reserves, private plantations, and the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary to enable wildlife, local communities and economic development to thrive and support each other.

Sawit Kinabalu Managing Director, Salim Mohammad said that the group spent about RM200,000 for the rehabilitation works and he was satisfied that according to a WWF Wildlife Surveys, this area had about 16 species of mammals including the endangered Orangutan and Proboscis Monkeys and 57 species of birds.

Dr Rahimatsah Amat, WWF-Malaysia Chief Technical Officer said the partnership was aimed to demonstrate the viability of restoring forest vegetation cover in deforested land and to contribute it as a model site for rehabilitation work in lower Kinabatangan.

"We hope today's MoU will encourage other plantations to set aside areas for conservation purposes, as well as hastening the realisation of the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life."

Dr Sharma said that 15 years ago when he was working in Kinabatangan, there was only one or two ecotourism operators in that area but now it was mushrooming as people realised wildlife and nature provided them with the golden opportunity to make a fortune.

Now, some people realised the disadvantages of extending their oil palm plantation up to the riverbank because it contributed to the possible extinction of wildlife, which reduced the opportunity for ecotourism, he said.

When asked whether WWF has received any feedback on the recent discovery of coral damage in Sipadan island which was scrapped by the bottom of a barge, he said the organisation had yet to receive any feedback from the authority like Sabah Parks.

However, he said WWF-Malaysia which had a pool of marine biologists and divers were willing to help Sabah Parks to assess the damage on the corals.

-- BERNAMA