Conservation Activities
The Malua BioBank employs a proactive approach to conservation. Our environmental stewardship program is coordinated under a rigorous Conservation Management Plan, designed and overseen by an Advisory Committee comprised of scientists and experts from local and international NGOs. The Malua BioBank works closely with the Sabah Forestry Department in order to fulfill the Conservation Management Plan's strategic objectives in curbing threats to the Malua Forest and improving wildlife habitat. Some of the main activities taking place in Malua are:
- Restoring forest canopy cover. One of the distinctive features of Malaysia's rainforests is their dense canopy cover, broken only the largest, emergent trees scattered throughout the forest. This structure fosters a healthy forest with a diversity of tree and plant species.
- Building and maintaining orangutan bridges. These rope bridges are essential to allow the arboreal orangutans to cross waterways, ensuring population dispersion and access to food resources, which are located throughout the forest.
- Anti-poaching patrols and education. Regular forest monitoring is critical to knowing what is going on inside and around the Malua Forest. Forest rangers keep poaching at bay with regular day and night patrols and by identifying access points that can be exploited by poachers. The Malua BioBank also works with local communities to identify and abate potential environmental threats.
- Planting native tree species. As much of the Malua Forest has already been logged, there is a critical need to plant native trees to replace those lost in previous decades as well as to restore heavily degraded areas. These trees will provide fruit and seeds for the animals and will also help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow.
- Wildlife monitoring with camera traps. Strategically placed cameras throughout the Malua Forest allow us to monitor even the shyest and rarest species. The motion activated cameras provide useful data regarding the wildlife populations and are an important component of ongoing research.
You can read the latest conservation plan and keep abreast of Malua BioBank activities throughout the year with quarterly Operations Updates: