InfoSAWIT, KUALA LUMPUR - The collaborative partnership among the members of RSPO in palm oil plantation sector, United Plantations Berhad (UP) and the project partner, Copenhagen Zoo revealed that palm oil plantation and the environment could operate in harmony. The project was controversial when it was proposed in 20 but it gets better.

In “Seminar Minyak Kelapa Sawit” in the Kopenhagen Zoo in the end of May 2019, Director of Zoo in Southeast Asia, Dr. Carl Traeholt discussed the positive results, measurement, the monitor, and water quality management in the plantations, namely in the peat and river, and the trace of species, such as, forest cat, black cobra, and king cobra.

He also told the evidence about the biggest terrestrial predator in Kalimantan – the Bengal forest cat – in the rehabilitation areas of UP in Kalimantan. He confirmed that they successfully breed Bengal to control the rats. It is different from the owl for it is not the origin from Malaysia. “We have planned to trace other species, such as, orangutan, flat-head cat, gharial, and trenggiling,” he said in the official page of RSPO.

Based on the evidence, Dr. Traeholt also explained that it needs to change the approach, stay away from the relative action when doing conservation, for instance, with orangutan. The individuals from the small population which is isolated should be managed as one population. It means that some individuals should be moved to get the genetic goals.

“The point is that the small population should be managed in the wild but not being captured or sent to the rescue center unless if they are in bad condition that needs medical treatment from the veterinarian,” he said.

He also agreed that sometimes it needs to protect the individual in the rescue center by multiplying the habitat to maintain the bigger population. The scheme also recommended re-introduce the regions where the species have been extinction. “The approach could be used to other species,” he said.

For more, please read InfoSAWIT, July 2019