PENANG Green Council (PGC) has planted 1,000 mangrove trees near Changkat Fishermen’s Jetty in Nibong Tebal, Penang, under the Wetland Restoration with PGC programme.
This is meant to restore the local ecosystem by returning trees to former forest land and improving the condition of degraded forest.
PGC general manager Josephine Tan Mei Ling said each mangrove tree planted would absorb the equivalent 308kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its lifespan.
She said the mangrove trees were great natural barriers and protector of the land against coastal erosion.
“Ecosystem restoration is one of the most important ways in delivering nature-based solutions for food insecurity, climate change and biodiversity loss.
“It won’t be quick or easy as it will take deep changes to everything, from the way we measure economic progress to how we grow food and what we eat,” she added.
Tan said the beauty of ecosystem restoration was that it could happen at any scale and everyone had a role to play.
“We are here to be a part of the #GenerationRestoration movement to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems in Penang,” she said in her welcome address before planting mangrove trees.
The programme by PGC was assisted by the Penang Forestry Department and Changkat Fishermen Jetty.
The co-sponsors of the programme were Eco World Development Group Bhd, Dell Technologies, Zebra Technologies Malaysia Sdn Bhd and HP Malaysia Manufacturing Sdn Bhd.
Tan said 110 volunteers and participants were involved in the restoration effort.
“PGC is grateful and honoured to be taking the lead in this programme. We wish to inspire more citizens to create a greener community.”
She added that the PGC planned to make a follow-up visit after six months to ensure the mangroves were growing well.
State welfare, caring society and environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, who launched the tree planting event, said the Penang government approved 676.48ha of sea swamp forest to be gazetted as permanent forest reserve.
“The approved size of the sea swamp forest is only part of the 38 locations within the government and agency-owned lands with an area of 1,619.22ha identified and gazetted as a permanent forest reserve.
“The next step is for the environment committee to continue the detailed work for the remaining marine swamp forest areas to be gazetted in stages,” said Phee.
The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, he said, chose Penang to implement the Malaysia Forest Conservation Certification Protocol (MFCC) pilot project.
The project is in line with the requirements of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“MFCC was formed to recognise any state government or other body that implements best practices which contribute towards preserving forested areas as carbon storage,” said Phee.
“The planting of mangrove trees has been actively carried out in Penang since 2005.
“This continuous planting of mangrove trees is not only able to increase the resilience of the sea swamp or mangrove forest area as a bulwark against natural erosion, but also able to withstand the effects of development in the future,” he said.
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