These include supporting and promoting initiatives to protect and preserve the ecosystem, protecting and restoring waterways to their natural state, conserving forests, protecting animals, promoting biodiversity, among others.

Priority is given especially to vulnerable and endangered animals and preserving forest reserves particularly in and around areas of Sime Darby's operations. Through sponsorships via Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), these initiatives are also extended beyond Sime Darby's operations with long-term research and wildlife protection projects being commissioned and supported.

TREE PLANTING PROGRAMME

Volunteers of the 'River & Trees For Life : Tree Planting Activity' gathering for a group photo after planting over 330 tree saplings along the riverbank of Sg. Damansara.

Sime Darby Plantation has embarked on a forest tree planting programme in its estates since 2008. The trees include indigenous, endangered and rare species of tropical forest trees. The aim is to establish a gene pool of these species apart from enriching the biodiversity estates.

As at November 2011, a total of 329,225 trees from 276 species have been planted within Sime Darby Plantation’s Malaysian estates. These numbers include some 10,450 forest trees which have been planted at Wildlife Sanctuary on Carey Island since 2008. The management has allocated close to 100 hectares in Carey Island’s West Estate for this project to enrich the biodiversity of the island.

MANGROVE RESEARCH CENTRE

The centre, the first of its kind in Malaysia was established in collaboration with the Institute of Biological Sciences and Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences of University Malaya (UM) and conducts research on mangrove ecosystem and coastal zone management. The main role of the centre is to gather fundamental information on mangrove ecosystems and to advise local stakeholders on their importance.

MANGROVE BRIGADE

Started in March 2009, this squad comprises children from primary and secondary schools on Carey Island which is surrounded by mangrove forest. The intention is to educate them on the importance of caring for the mangrove forest and the mangrove ecosystem for the well-being of the present and future generations.

STABILITY OF ALTERED FOREST ECOSYSTEMS (SAFE)

The SAFE Project is a long-term research project which is a collaboration between YSD and South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP)- an overseas research programme of the Royal Society (The UK and Commonwealth Academy of Science). SAFE is slated to be the world’s largest ecological experiment both in terms of size and breadth of ecological processes.

The project will allow insights to minimise biodiversity impacts while maximising ecosystem services. The fully integrated research programme will focus on these key areas: animal and plant diversity, water and soils, carbon cycling, nutrient cycling and microclimate. The central element is the creation of clusters of forest patches on an hectare, 10 hectares and 100 hectares within an oil palm plantation which is being established by Yayasan Sabah. The research plots are to be established in the surrounding (new) oil palm plantations, in mature plantations, areas of logged forests on land belonging to Yayasan Sabah, and in undisturbed primary forests in the Maliau Basin.

This project will make major contributions to sustainable palm oil and plantation management, implementation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) guidelines and the conservation of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems.

Through sponsorship via YSD, these following initiatives extend beyond Sime Darby’s operations with long term research and wild life protection projects being commissioned and supported.

NORTHERN ULU SEGAMA REHABILITATION FOR ORANGUTAN CONSERVATION

Sime Darby Plantation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sabah Forestry Department on January 29, 2008 pledging RM25 million towards the conservation of 5,403 hectares of the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve – home to 5,000 Orangutans. The Ulu Segama Forest Reserve covers 250,000 hectares of which 160,000 hectares have been overlogged and

in need of restoration and rehabilitation.

The contribution over a period of 10 years will support the Sabah Forestry Department’s programme to rehabilitate the forest reserve which has among the highest concentration of Orangutans in Borneo.

BORNEO RHINOCEROS SANCTUARY

The Bornean Sumatran Rhino is considered a critically endangered species, with only 50 individuals existing in the wild, and about 30 may be found in Sabah. The Borneo Rhinoceros Sanctuary (BRS) provides a natural environment suitable for the rhinos offering protection from poachers and hunters and have their well-being monitored by qualified staff. It is hoped that once brought into this sanctuary, the rhinos will mate and breed, thus boosting the dangerously low numbers of the species and ensuring its survival. YSD has allocated RM5 million towards this cause from 2009 to 2012.

The BRS is an initiative by the Borneo Rhinoceros Alliance (BORA) and involves the creation and maintenance of a fenced-off area within the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. At present, there is a male and an aged female rhino in the sanctuary, and hopefully another young female sighted in the wild in Tabin may be rescued and relocated to the sanctuary for breeding.

STUDYING THE MALAYAN TIGER WITH THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF) MALAYSIA

In November 2010, Yayasan Sime Darby, Sime Darby Plantation and WWF-Malaysia signed an agreement to carry out a study on selected estates to formulate recommendations to improve sustainable plantation management. The Sime Darby Plantation estate chosen was the Sungai Dingin Estate in Kedah.

The study will analyse the effects of current activities and operations in oil palm plantations on wildlife and environment. The focus is to determine the presence of the Malayan Tiger (Panthera Tigris Jacksoni) and the tigers’ conservation status in and around the selected estate via monitoring of its habitat and the population of its prey. The study also seek to determine the level of human-wildlife conflict and poaching in plantations and identify the water courses and riparian areas within the estate that contain or have the potential to possess significant tiger conservation value.

CONSERVATION OF THE PROBOSCIS MONKEY IN SABAH

In a study conducted by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) in 2005, it was found that the population size of the Proboscis monkey was estimated to be a minimum of 5,907 individuals along major coastal river systems in Sabah.

However, only 15.3% of the estimated population were found within protected forest reserves, with much of the species diminishing habitat exposed to further conversion, extraction and disturbance. This has led to increased isolation of proboscis monkey groups.

YSD’s contribution towards the conservation and management of the Proboscis monkey in Sabah is via efforts to build capacity in the area of conservation biology and wildlife management within the SWD. This is done through the higher education training (PhD) of a senior wildlife officer, Dr Senthilvel Nathan at Cardiff University, and Masters degree courses of two other staff. This programme also works towards the rescue and translocation operations of pocketed populations of Proboscis monkeys in adverse habitats.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Wan Mohd. Zahid Mohd Noordin accompanied by Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Community Partnership) UKM,

presenting a memento to Prof. Dr. R. Bino, Managing Director of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group of Food & Biobased Research Institute, Wageningen

University and Research (UR)

www.simedarbyplantation.com

UKM - YSD CHAIR FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

This chair was established in an effort to address the issue of climate change and is managed by Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia’s (UKM) Research Centre for Tropical Climate Change System (IKLIM) in consultation with YSD. The collaboration has enabled UKM to take on a leading role in research particularly focusing on the effects of climate change on water resources, the terrestrial ecosystem and health of people, marine ecosystems and sectors such as fisheries, as well as agro-ecosystems in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

IKLIM spearheads the research to assess the impact of climate change in Malaysia and deepen the understanding of the scientific aspects of climate change with a view to identify mitigation measures and adaptation strategies. The work of the Chair would have four key elements: research, education and training, input for national policy development and community engagement at local, national and international levels.

The Chair is beneficial to Sime Darby’s business interests, as the research activities under the programme would yield reliable and up-to-date climate information, including seasonal climate forecasts, all of which would be important and useful for the planning and management of Sime Darby’s plantation operations. The same goes for projects to examine the impact of climate change on ecosystems in palm oil plantations or to develop ecological approaches to pest control.

Thus, support for the Chair would yield knowledge and technologies to enable Sime Darby to be more competitive while at the same time minimising the impact of its business activities on the environment.

UKM - YSD CHAIR FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - ZERO WASTE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PALM OIL INDUSTRY

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Wan Mohd. Zahid Mohd Noordin accompanied by Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Community Partnership) UKM, presenting a memento to Prof. Dr. R. Bino, Managing Director of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group of Food & Biobased Research Institute, Wageningen University and Research (UR)

Yayasan Sime Darby contributed an endowment fund of RM15 million to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) with the purpose of leading and encouraging research that is relevant to the palm oil industry. This is in line with the foundation’s aspirations for Malaysia to be a model of sustainable development for the world.

By collaborating with Sime Darby Plantation, UKM will undertake the research towards value-added products from the industry, reduction of green house gas emissions, green technologyies and innovative practices. This Chair does not only comply with the Group’s wishes for a more sustainable future, it is also in tandem with the government’s visions to ensure sustainable growth through green technology.

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