Project RELeaf builds on our pioneering Kinabatangan Rileaf Project, established in 2011, and which helped plant one million trees in Sabah. By widening its reach in Sabah and expanding for the first time to Peninsular Malaysia, Project RELeaf aims to scale up Nestlé’s efforts to restoring riparian and forest ecosystems, contributing to establish wildlife corridors and mitigate human-animal conflict, and protecting critical water supplies.
The project will also help to develop greater awareness amongst local communities on environmental topics and will provide additional sources of income to improve their livelihoods.
Besides enhancing biodiversity, Project RELeaf will subsequently help to absorb carbon emissions. Planting trees in areas connected with the sourcing of our ingredients contributes to the responsible management of our supply chain.Chris Johnson Executive Vice President Nestlé S.A., Chief Executive Officer, Zone AOA
Project RELeaf will be delivering positive value in 3 areas:
- REFOREST wildlife corridors to connect fragmented forests to mitigate human-animal conflict and provide sustenance and sanctuary for endangered species.
- RESTORE degraded forests and riparian zones to mitigate negative effects from agricultural activities.
- RESPECT and support livelihoods of local communities provide capacity-building and enhance awareness on environment conservation.
Project RELeaf will see two million trees planted across the Kinabatangan Wetlands and Merisuli Forest Restoration areas in Sabah and Bintulu, Sarawak, as well as a million in forest reserves along the Central Forest Spine in Peninsular Malaysia. These forest reserves provide sanctuary for a great diversity of flora and fauna, including threatened wildlife such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, Asian elephants, Malayan tigers, sun bears and tapirs.
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Sabah Forestry Department, Malaysian Nature Society, the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Center and the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project, as well as palm growers, local communities and entrepreneurs for community-based seedling production and tree-planting operations.
