The devastating impacts of deforestation are at an all-time high, leading to a menagerie of conservation concerns for Malaysia’s rainforest ecosystem. Luckily, with more Malaysians being aware of these issues, there’s still a chance for us to make a meaningful change and play a part in saving our tropical rainforests for a brighter future!
So in pursuit of that change, Zurich Malaysia is holding a public event to curb the impacts of deforestation and needs YOUR help to fight for “A Greener Future”!
This 5 November, Zurich is calling on all Malaysians to build “A Greener Future” at their 150-year anniversary event!
Here’s all you need to know about this event!
This year, Zurich Malaysia introduced a multi-year initiative called “Zurich Cares”, which is part of their sustainability effort to abide by the 1.5°C Pledge. The end goal of this pledge is to limit the average global temperature while simultaneously cementing Zurich as one of the most impactful businesses in the world.
This is where you can come in! You can join Zurich Malaysia and Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC) at A Greener Future, a public event for Malaysians to learn more about conserving our tropical rainforest ecosystem! This event is on Saturday, 5 November 2022 from 8.00am to 12.00pm at Taman Tugu Nursery (next to the Taman Tugu car park) and is open to everyone of all ages.
Here, attendees can participate in various activity booths including a “Grow Your Own Food” workshop (which is open to Zurich customers and only by pre-registration) where participants can learn how to carry out their own backyard farming! Plus, attendees can sign the Zurich Cares Pledge to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle with environmentally responsible choices in their daily lives.
For each of the 1,000 pledges received, one tree will be planted at TRLC Merisuli, Sabah.
So jom go all-out with them and help them receive enough pledges to plant 1,000 trees! The end goal of this event is to help Zurich Malaysia and TRCRC conserve and restore endangered, rare and threatened (ERT) dipterocarps in Merisuli, Sabah!
Wait, what are dipterocarps and what’s so special about them?
Also known as the “Forest Giants”, dipterocarps are tropical hardwood trees that provide several types of valuable resources to other species in the rainforest. In addition, dipterocarp forests act as a habitat and shelter for many species and play a vital role in providing several types of natural resources.
Unfortunately, many dipterocarp species face the threat of extinction, including the critically endangered Dipterocarpus lamellatus. Against all odds, the Dipterocarpus lamellatus tree species was rediscovered in 2010, 55 years after the last record of one of their trees was found in Sabah.
However, the dipterocarps are not out of the woods yet.
Despite the miraculous rediscovery of certain dipterocarps in Sabah, many species under this family of forest giants are still under threat due to rampant deforestation. As a consequence of the improper logging cycle of these trees for their timber, the dipterocarps are extracted faster than the rate of their growth in Sabah’s rainforest.
To add to that, land conversion is also a large threat towards the habitats of these dipterocarps. The natural dispersal of seeds for some dipterocarp species is limited due to their nature of being endemic to certain areas of the rainforest. This is made even more difficult by predators that consume their seeds during unpredictable fruiting seasons.
The biodiversity in Merisuli’s rainforest is largely dependent on the role of dipterocarps. As proof of the importance of this biodiversity, orangutan nests are commonly built in these trees due to their suitable size while smaller mammals including black-banded squirrels, tarsiers and leopard cats depend on the density of these trees to hunt on the forest floor. So if the rainforest loses these trees, the animals that live among them will lose their home too.
To prevent this, conservation groups including TRCRC have taken on efforts to restore degraded forests to a functional state by reintroducing dipterocarps to the area. To top it off, these restoration efforts have seen the return of several species of animals in the area including elephants, orangutans, hornbills and a wide variety of insects and amphibians too!
But dipterocarps are not the only trees they’re restoring to the rainforest; other pioneer species will be planted as well to help restore balance to the soil. This will enhance the forest’s biodiversity by attracting pollinators and other wildlife to the area too!
With all this being said, if you are inspired to support these efforts to conserve our Malaysian rainforests for generations to come, then Zurich Malaysia and TRCRC will need your help! Come build A Greener Future with them this 5 November at Taman Tugu Nursery to not only celebrate 150 years of Zurich’s service but also to usher in the next 150 years with a positive impact!
For more info on the A Greener Future event or the Zurich Cares initiative, visit their website or follow their social media pages:
