Improving Biodiversity, Reforestation and restoration

Protect-Restore-Connect are the main focus areas for SD Guthrie’s Biodiversity Conservation Plan, which will be launched in 2025. The plan will enable SD Guthrie to lay out clear, actionable steps in our biodiversity conservation efforts.

SD Guthrie pledged to assist the State Government of Sabah to conserve Orangutan habitats at the Bukit Piton Forest Reserve (previously known as Northern Ulu Segama). Bukit Piton is part of the Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve in the Heart of Sabah, in east Malaysia. The programme started in 2008 when an agreement was signed between the two parties to rehabilitate and restore the entire 5,400 hectares of Bukit Piton Forest Reserve over a 10-year period, with a total commitment of RM25 million funded by Sime Darby Foundation (Yayasan Sime Darby). About 300,000 trees from more than 95 species were planted in the area, also supporting the regrowth of natural vegetation. The trees and vegetation serve as food sources for Orangutans and other wildlife in the area. The project was successful, with multiple sightings of a large number of Orangutan nests in the rehabilitated areas. The success also included the reclassification from Class II Commercial Forests to Class I Protection Forests. It was renamed Bukit Piton Forest Reserve in March 2012 and had acquired the Totally Protected Area (TPA) status, which helped to improve the ecological functions of the forest.

The project was completed in 2018 and handed over to the Sabah Forestry Department during a closing ceremony held on 8 December 2018.

SD Guthrie collaborates with respective authorities, agencies, and researchers in landscapes facing Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), such as in Sabah, Pahang, and Johor, in Malaysia, to establish responsible mitigation strategies.

SD Guthrie partnered with Yayasan Sime Darby, the Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME) and the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) to conduct research and obtain information on HEC found in our Malaysian operations from 2011 to 2018.

This collaboration between the private sector, academia and the conservation agencies is a pioneering step for SD Guthrie to establish the science that can help manage HEC issues and protect wildlife while continuing to deliver value for the business. We have also established a standard operating procedure for human-wildlife conflict mitigation in the plantation.

In 2020-2022, Yayasan Sime Darby further supported the development of conflict management approaches that cater to smallholders and other growers. The grant assisted in the development of science-backed mechanisms to support the co-existence of human beings and endangered species.

Case Study

SOP for Human-Wildlife Conflicts Mitigation in Plantation

Our plantations are habitats for diverse species that are endemic to the locations we operate in. Our plantations are also migratory corridors for wildlife that roam the forests. Thus, efforts are in place to connect some of these important wildlife corridors. For example, our operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are home to Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly (QABB) (Ornithoptera Alexandrae). The QABB is the world's largest butterfly, with a wingspan of between 19cm and 30cm. It is endemic to northern Papua New Guinea, east of the Owen Stanley Mountains, and has an extremely small home range. The QABB is commonly found in Papua New Guinea's lowland rainforests, up to 900 metres above sea level. It mainly feeds on Aristolochia Dielsiana, a toxic pipevine species that plays a central role in its reproduction.
Through ongoing assessments, we have identified various species that are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red lists in our Papua New Guinea operations. We shall continue efforts to monitor and manage the species currently present in our plantations to ensure ecosystems continue to be protected.

With support from Yayasan Sime Darby, a special lab has been constructed to facilitate the captive breeding of QABB. We aim to enhance the remaining population of this rare species by releasing adult bred specimens into areas of remaining forests where the pipevine plant is known to grow.

New Britain Palm Oil Limited (NBPOL), through Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL) and in collaboration with the Toledo Zoo and Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment (MECDM), has played a pivotal role in the conservation of the endangered Santa Cruz Ground Dove. After the species was rediscovered on Tinakula Island in 2015, threats from trapping, invasive species, and volcanic activity led to an international effort to secure and rehabilitate the remaining population. In 2019, GPPOL stepped in to establish a dedicated conservation centre, providing land, constructing a purpose-built aviary, and taking on its maintenance and staffing despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2022, the birds were successfully relocated to the aviary, and in 2024, a formal partnership was signed, solidifying GPPOL’s commitment to leading this initiative. Currently housing 49 doves, the centre is a testament to NBPOL’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and serves as a vital step in protecting the unique natural heritage of Solomon Islands.

Tucked away in our Carey Island operations is Malaysia's first mangrove research centre that SD Guthrie established in 2009.

Located within the Company's West Estate, the mangrove research centre studies the mangrove ecosystem and coastal zone management.

Among the objectives of the research centre are:

• To conduct phenology studies on mangroves seedlings available in and around Carey Island.
• To collect, establish, raise and manage mangroves nursery at Mangrove Research Centre, Carey Island.
• To plant, install and test the saplings using various methods at the eroded river buffer zone.
• To monitor and evaluate the survival and growth rates of the planted saplings.
• To expose and elevate the competency of internal researchers on mangrove science.

The latest project the centre is focusing on is the Carey Island River Rehabilitation Project. SD Guthrie's team has been planting mangrove tree species to address major issues the island faces, including bunds breaking, riverbank erosion and mangrove degradation.

A rapid acoustic survey & automated soundscape analysis was carried out by collecting audio data in Kamuning Estate, Perak in 2024. The study expanded on previous research to assess biodiversity in oil palm production and conservation areas using ecoacoustics. The audio data was collected in our conservation area in Kamuning Estate, and in pristine tropical jungle plots in the Ulu Kinta forest reserve as control. The results from the study indicated that the conservation areas in Kamuning Estate, while geographically close to production plots, share ecological features with pristine forests, thus suggesting effective habitat restoration strategies.