The Untold Journey Of Inikea's Forest Restoration Project

Barnama

23-06-2025

T
hey trekked and camped for weeks deep in the forests of Sabah, not to hunt wildlife but to carry out mapping and collect millions of seeds and wildings, some no larger than a thumb.
The wildings – offspring of existing trees growing in the wild without cultivation – and seeds were then germinated in a special nursery and replanted in what would become the foundation of one of Malaysia's, and arguably the world's, most successful forest rehabilitation project, the Innoprise-IKEA (INIKEA) Tropical Rainforest Project in Luasong in the district of Tawau, Sabah, located about 358 kilometres from the state capital Kota Kinabalu.
Among the unsung heroes of the project were the locals, including youths, who were roped in to assist the experts with the fieldwork and to diligently oversee the rehabilitation efforts.
This project got off the ground in June 1998 following a memorandum of understanding between Yayasan Sabah Group's investment arm Innoprise Corporation Sdn Bhd (ICSB) and Swedish furniture retail company IKEA's Sow-a-Seed Foundation.
The groundbreaking project encompassed the rehabilitation of 14,009 hectares of rainforest in the Kalabakan Forest Reserve in Luasong decimated by a severe drought and subsequent wildfires from 1982 to 1983, as well as continuous logging activities.
One of Malaysia's largest and longest-running forest rehabilitation initiatives, the INIKEA project involved the replanting of approximately five million seedlings representing around 92 indigenous tree species.
In March this year, Bernama reported that the initiators of the over 20-year-long project are now setting their sights on an ambitious goal – transforming the restored rainforest into the world's first 'Living Rainforest Restoration Lab' that will serve as a centre of excellence for knowledge on tropical rainforest restoration.
THE PROJECT
Yayasan Sabah Group staff Vita Juin @ Victor, Nizam Jaafar and Salimang Jan Yang, who were among those who played pivotal roles in ensuring the success of the INIKEA initiative, recently spoke to Bernama about their experiences working on the project.
Vita, 57, from Kuala Penyu, is now the acting officer in charge of the INIKEA project. He was a senior forest ranger when he was brought on board the INIKEA project in late 1998, where he was responsible for supervising the nursery in Luasong where seedlings of wild tree species were meticulously cultivated for replanting in the degraded forest.
Nizam (left) and his colleague, Jecklish Anil, dwarfed by tall trees in the INIKEA rehabilitation project in Luasong, Tawau, Sabah.
Salimang, 48, from Luasong, was the first woman to work at the INIKEA project nursery when she joined in June 1998.
Nizam, 47, from Tuaran, and now a Yayasan Sabah border guard specifically for the INIKEA project area, was only 20 when he joined INIKEA in June 1998 and was tasked with surveying and mapping the degraded areas slated for restoration. His immediate assignment was to lead a team of eight Yayasan Sabah staff to survey and map the proposed rehabilitation area, armed with maps and compasses.
Nizam said they embarked on their surveying and mapping work at the head of the Kalabakan River and spent the next three months completing the job.
'We found out that most of the burnt forest was already dominated by Macaranga trees and shrubs, which made traversing the area incredibly challenging.
'We were also shocked to come across a group of people still engaged in logging activities. They were equally surprised when we explained that we were surveying the area in preparation for rehabilitation,' Nizam told Bernama.
He said the difficult terrain, hilly landscapes and unpredictable weather often hampered their progress.
Nizam also vividly recalls the dangers they faced in the early days of the project.
'Once, we were almost swept away by a sudden surge of the river water. Another time, one of our group members was bitten by a snake but fortunately, someone in the team knew how to treat it with the bark of the Binuang tree. We also had a participant who contracted malaria,' he said.
Recounting a particularly eerie incident they experienced whilst performing their tasks, he said: 'Our team was split into two groups, agreeing to regroup at a set time.
'But, later, although we could hear each other's voices, my group could not find the other even though we were only a few metres apart,' he said.
Having practically grown up alongside the INIKEA project – which took more than two decades to complete – Nizam hoped the initiative's success would inspire global appreciation for rainforest restoration.
REHABILITATING THE FOREST
Vita and Salimang, meanwhile, spent the early years of the INIKEA project collecting seeds and wildings, focusing mainly on timber trees of the Dipterocarpaceae family, which is a vital component of Borneo's rainforest ecosystem.
The seeds and wildings, gathered for germination at the Luasong nursery, were not only collected from the forest in the Luasong district but also from forests in the districts of Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Keningau.
Salimang Jan Yang, the first woman to work in the INIKEA nursery at Luasong.
'In the early stages, we also sourced wildings and saplings from the Innoprise-FACE Foundation Rainforest Rehabilitation Project (INFAPRO) at the Danum Valley Conservation Area (in Lahad Datu),' said Vita.
INFAPRO, a collaboration between Innoprise Corporation and the FACE Foundation of the Netherlands, was initiated in 1992 to plant indigenous dipterocarps and wild fruit species that absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide.
LUASONG
Vita explained that the trees replanted in the rehabilitated forest areas of Luasong comprised 70 percent dipterocarp species, 24 percent non-dipterocarp species and five percent wild fruit trees.
He said the mature seedlings germinated at the nursery in Luasong were planted using the line and gap-cluster method.
Vita Juin spent early years in INIKEA collecting wildings.
'Collecting wildings is quite different from collecting seeds. We learned to carefully uproot young saplings – ideally in the morning and during the wet season when the soil is soft, to avoid damaging the roots. These had to be transported to the nursery by 11 am,' he said.
He also recounted a rather scary encounter: 'While looking for wildings, we once came across hunters who subtly warned us not to 'disturb' their hunting ground.'
Salimang said she oversaw the growth of seedlings in the nursery beds.
'At the same time, I was also involved in collecting wild tree seeds in the forest together with Vita Juin and other workers.
'During the fruiting season, we could collect millions of wildings, some incredibly small, like the Seraya (Shorea) species. These seeds would later be sown in the nursery.
'Collecting wildings can be difficult… we even had to compete with wild boars which were seeking tree seeds for food,' she said.
Having worked at the Luasong nursery for nearly three decades, Salimang can now identify at least 70 tree species.
'Many university students come to visit the nursery for research purposes. They often ask questions that I sometimes find difficult to answer but I am very happy and proud to have played an important part in the INIKEA restoration project.
'I do get emotional when I see the tall trees that germinated from the seeds sown in our nursery,' she said.
Vita said the INIKEA project's impact extends well beyond ecological restoration.
'The project not only achieved successful forest restoration but also provided employment for over 700 local people from Tawau, Sandakan, Keningau, Kuala Penyu and Luasong,' he said.
He said many university students – including from abroad, mostly from Sweden – have conducted research at the INIKEA project site, with several completing their PhDs, masters and basic degrees based on their findings.
Following its restoration success, the rehabilitated forest in Luasong is now part of the Sungai Tiagu Class 1 Forest Reserve.
As the INIKEA project enters a new chapter, its story stands as a testament to what can be achieved through teamwork, perseverance and a commitment to safeguard and restore the environment.
The hope now is that this 'living laboratory' will inspire future generations and serve as a global model for rainforest restoration.