Willie (second right) presents the award to Goh. Also in the photo are MTC chairman Norrida Yusoff (second left), MTC chief executive officer Muhtar Suhaili (right), and Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities’s secretary general Datuk Ravi Muthayah (left).
KUCHING, Jan 16: KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd. (KTSP), has once more proven itself to be a prominent company in the forest industry for Sustainable Forest Management. After being awarded the Environment and Sustainability Distinction Awards at the MTC Malaysian Timber Industry Awards 20,22, KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd.
The award was presented by Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Willie Mongin to KTSP manager Collin Goh during the Malaysian Timber Council’s 30th anniversary gala dinner at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on Jan 10.
KTSP received the Category I: Environment and Sustainability Distinction award in recognition of its sustainability efforts in planning and execution in the implementation and maintenance of the green practices for the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR), in Sandakan.
Goh stated that this involvement had a positive impact on company image.
He stated that the SFM concept in SLFR was implemented through close collaboration between the Sabah Forest Department and he since 1993.
KTSP became the first Forest Management Enterprise to be certified under Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme in Malaysia (MTCS), shortly after the establishment by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council.
KTSP has continued to improve the implementation SFM principle through research collaborations, such as with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (to name a couple), and Forest Research Centre (to name a few).
Early history shows that SLFR covers an area 57,247ha and was characterized by pristine dipterocarp forest up until the 1950s when conventional harvesting was allowed. It was then repeatedly harvested until the 1990s.
Simultaneously oil palm plantation has been established in the surrounding areas, covering 75 percent of the land-use.
The conversion of large areas of forest to oil palm plantation has caused a significant alteration in the natural habitat of wildlife. This has been evident by the high wildlife population in the reserve.
“Uniquely, the reserve is home for all species of rare, threatened and endangered (RTE) species in Sabah. Similar results were seen along the border. The forest recovery was almost stopped by the abrupt alteration in the ecology.
“Realising that long term tenant period of managing the reserve can only be economically feasible if managed based on a set of correct principles, hence in 1998 KTSP made a significant voluntary initiative to implement Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) principles before it was made mandatory in Sabah through the Sustainable Forest Management License Agreement (SFMLA) the first prudent move that set apart KTSP on different trajectory from the rest in the industry.
“KTSP has continuously revolutionise the industry with responsible, proactive and adaptive forest management approaches, a commitment towards excellence in sustainable forest management,” said Goh.
SLFR was once a degraded area of forest. Today, it is an active production forest that supports key species such as elephant, clouded Leopard, proboscis Monkey, sun bear, and orang utan.
There have been at least 75 species of mammals (excluding bats), 220 birds species and over 100 reptiles and amphibians.
11% of its area has been reserved for conservation purposes to help support the rich biodiversity of wildlife and the high number of animals that live there.
“The conservation aspect of the reserve is continuously being enhanced through various research initiative such as the Rawog Scientific Expedition and the on-going Wildlife Monitoring Programme from various fields of expertise,” added Goh.
For the record: In 2008, KTSP won the Prime Minister Hibiscus Awards, for notable achievement in the environment, followed in 2019 by the MTCC Leadership in Sustainability Awards, for its exemplary leadership in sustainability projects.
The MTC Environment and Sustainability Distinction Award was another endorsement of the unique forest management methods implemented by KTS Plantation.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Timber Industry Awards 2022 held in conjunction with MTC’s 30th anniversary was held to award and acknowledge selected timber industry players for their achievement and contribution in the industry and also to award 14 MTC employees with Long Service awards.
All timber-based companies that are registered with any of the timber associations in Malaysia (TEAM, Malaysian Wood Industries Association and Timber Exporters Association of Malaysia) were eligible to win the timber award.
The awards were divided in five categories: Category 1: Environment and Sustainability Distinction. Category 2: Digitalisation and Digitising Excellence. Category 3: Covid-19 Operations Excellence. Category IV: Innovative Timber Products. Category 5: Timber Industry Personality.
KTSP was one among three Category I winners along with Weng Meng Industries Sdn Bhd, and One-tech M (M) Sdn Bhd.
Category II winners were Weng Meng Industries Sdn Bhd., Deep Furniture Sdn Bhd., and KJH Wood Industrial Sdn Bhd. Category III: Soon Her Sing Industries Sdn Bhd., Weng Meng Industries Sdn Bhd., Dee Noon Corporation Sdn Bhd. Category IV: Deep Furniture Sdn Bhd., Simewood Product Sdn Bhd., and HeveaBoard Berhad. Category V: George Tan Seng Hoe