Forest products are used in our daily lives. Over the past 50 years, about half the world‘s original forest cover has been lost, the most signi� cant cause for that being human beings‘ exploitation of resources. Nowadays, nobody denies that mass deforestation of the tropical rainforests is happening on a global scale and at an unprecedented rate. Every year, the world loses 15 million hectares of forest cover which leads to over 100 million tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere, the single largest contributor to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Malaysia‘s deforestation rate is accelerating faster than that of any other tropical country in the world. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, is in the cradle of a region rich in diversity and was once covered with dense rainforests. Borneo’s northern state of Sabah was the world’s leading log exporter in the 1990s and is now largely logged out. In the Lahad Datu district of Sabah, the rainforest rehabi-litation project INFAPRO aims to re-establish these precious forests.

Planting trees, capturing CO2, restoring biodiversity

Improved forest management (IFM) methodologies are designed to facilitate the transition of unsustainably managed forests towards a high-productive forest. The INFAPRO project has been designed to rehabilitate an area of 25,000 ha ad-jacent to the unique primary forests of Danum Valley through IFM activities. It is located in an area with a high density and diversity of fauna.

The main tree species in this region are Dipterocarps which are indigenous to South-East Asia and are considered commercially valuable. The Dipterocarpace-ae is a large family of tropical hardwood trees that is known for its long-lived species that can grow to exceptional sizes.

The project avoids re-logging and rehabilitates the forest by enrichment plan-ting and liberation thinning by cutting climbers and vines. Apart from sequeste-ring carbon, restoration activities help improve a variety of ecosystem functions.

Malaysia: Improved Forest Management in Sabah, Borneo

Key Facts

Project type: Improved Forest Management

Project standard: VCS

Total emission reductions: 138,000 tCO2e p.a.

Project start date: August 2007

Project partner: Face the Future, the Sabah Foundation

Validator:SCS

Verifier: SCS

Scienti� c brief – how it works

The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide by growing trees is known as bio-sequestration. Photosynthesis, one of the most basic and essential bio-logical processes on earth, converts carbon dioxide into various types of bio-mass using water and the energy from sunlight. Oxygen is then released as a by-product which forms the basis for many other forms of life. The sequestration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide achieved by the project is based on the photosynthesis of trees. Due to the tropical climate, trees in rainforests grow faster and therefore sequester signi� cantly more carbon than elsewhere.

Improved Forest Management (IFM) leads to a huge increase in carbon storage in tropical forests. The INFAPRO project activities include liberation, climber cutting and intensive management to enhance the growth of the residual forest matrix. The amount of carbon sequestered is periodically monitored using a combination of remote sensing and ground truthing techniques. In the absence of the project activity, the forest would be re-logged and would only slowly recuperate due to high quantities of vines and climbing bamboos suppressing the remnant trees and the natural regeneration process.

Sustainability bene� ts

With a total of 25,000 ha being reforested and ca. 138,000 tons of CO2 being captured, the project does not only contribute to climate change mitigation but also provides additional social bene� ts and will also contribute towards the biodiversity of the forest. These include the following:

• Provision of employment opportunities for locals in the areas of planting, sampling and administration

• Enlargement of the habitat of several mammal and bird species

• The relatively fast return of animal species to the area, in particularly birds, Orang Utans, Sun bears and Pygmy elephants

• Retreat area for the Sumatran Rhino, a critically endangered species.

For more information on other projects in our portfolio please visit our website:

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Malaysia: Improved Forest Management in Sabah, Borneo