800ha Orang Utan habitat to be restored

The Sabah Forestry Department recently awarded reforestation contracts to four contractors to restore degraded forest areas in North Ulu Segama, within the Ulu Segama-Malua Forest Reserve in Lahad Datu. According to a statement here Saturday, 800 hectares would be replanted with indigenous tree species and wild fruit trees in the next 12 months to ensure the survival of orang-utans.

The North Ulu Segama area was discovered in 2007 to have a large population of orang-utans.

It is surrounded by oil palm trees and located in a poor secondary logged forest environment, with limited sources of food and shelter.

The department has since acquired funding from the World Wildlife Fund Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) and its international network to carry out reforestation at the North Ulu Segama forest areas.

According to WWF-Malaysia forest restoration manager Joseph Gasis, who is in charge of forest restoration work at North Ulu Segama, without sufficient food source and suitable trees as home, orang-utans would have to travel long distances in search of food.

Source: Daily Express