Kuala Lumpur, 27 August 2025 – UNIMAS has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Wilmar Plantations Sdn Bhd’s (Wilmar) subsidiary, Saremas Sdn Bhd, to conduct a comprehensive biodiversity survey of conservation areas in its oil palm plantations in Sarawak.
This marks a continued partnership between UNIMAS and Wilmar, which has been ongoing since 2014. The latest project will involve a detailed assessment of threatened medium- to large-sized mammals and bird species using camera traps, with research running from now until March 2027.
The collaboration aims to:
- Improve understanding of habitat and microhabitat use, species richness, distribution and ecology of the species of conservation importance;
- Strengthen knowledge on local communities’ dependency on natural resources near High Conservation Value forests;
- Increase indexed publication under the theme of biodiversity conservation in oil palm plantation settings; and
- Develop a generation of graduate students equipped with practical knowledge in biodiversity conservation within oil palm plantation settings.
“This project will deepen our knowledge and understanding of wildlife biodiversity and conservation within a plantation landscape. It also offers a strategic opportunity to contribute scientific data that can guide sustainable land-use practices,” said UNIMAS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Ahmad Hata Rasit.
He added that insights gained from this initiative could play a crucial role in pinpointing biodiversity hotspots, enhancing mapping accuracy and guiding the creation of conservation corridors within plantation environments.
Wilmar Plantations’ Executive Director, Gurcharan Singh, noted that the company manages 1,725.35 hectares of conservation areas within its Saremas and Segarmas estates in Sarawak. These areas are actively patrolled and protected by 29 full-time conservation rangers.
“Collaborating with UNIMAS brings valuable scientific insight to our conservation efforts. It enablesus to strengthen evidence-based approaches and ensure our management practices are aligned with the long-term protection of endangered and threatened species, which can be used to improve how we manage these areas effectively,” said Gurcharan.
Previous collaboration with UNIMAS had resulted in a joint publication titled “Bukit Durang: The Hidden Jewel of Ulu Suai, Sarawak” in 2023, which presents biodiversity findings in an accessible format for nature enthusiasts. Bukit Durang is a 994-hectare conservation site within Wilmar’s Sarawak estates.
The book is available here. –> https://www.wilmar-international.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sustainability/wilmar-bukit-durang-coffee-table-book.pdf?sfvrsn=13d91e86_1
