Nature's buffer for biodiversity
MOST people are already familiar with our forest covers and how our forests are important to protect biodiversity. A lesser-known yet equally important part of our forests lies near riverbanks that flow through Malaysia's natural carbon sinks.
Derived from the Latin word ripa meaning 'river bank', riparian zones are narrow strips of land adjacent to rivers, lakes and wetlands. They are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, often complete with their own unique microclimates.
Riparian areas—where land meets water—are critical for maintaining ecological balance and providing a range of environmental benefits as they also act as a buffer between water and land.
Unfortunately, riparian buffers face various risks, including encroachment for agriculture and urbanisation. Protecting and restoring these ecosystems is not only vital for conserving biodiversity but also for achieving several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 15: Life on Land.
Important for 'Life on Land'
SDG 15: Life on Land calls for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. This includes halting biodiversity loss and taking action to restore ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed. Riparian zones are integral to achieving this goal because they are among the most vulnerable yet critical ecosystems for sustaining biodiversity.
A healthy riparian zone is crucial for stabilising riverbanks, filtering out pollutants, providing food and shelter for aquatic life, and moderating water temperature, especially when trees provide shade.
Riparian zones also help connect different ecosystems, allowing wildlife to move between areas, much like wildlife corridors do, which are crucial to reducing human-wildlife conflict.
Additionally, the vegetated zones contribute to the health of surrounding ecosystems by filtering pollutants, regulating water quality, and preventing excessive sedimentation in rivers and lakes. The plants in these areas trap sediments and absorb nutrients from runoff, preventing them from entering waterways and negatively impacting aquatic life, making riparian zones essential for both terrestrial and aquatic species.
In some countries, riparian zones are legally protected as river reserves, which restrict certain activities to preserve water quality and biodiversity. In Malaysia, specific laws and guidelines govern the protection of riparian buffers, including the width of protected areas that are dependent on the size of the river.
River or riparian reserves are areas next to rivers that have been gazetted for protection purposes under various national and state laws such as the National Land Code 1965 for Peninsular Malaysia, the Selangor Waters Management Authority Enactment 1999 and the Sabah Water Resources Enactment 1998.
However, not all riparian zones are legally protected. In some cases, they rely on voluntary guidelines, such as those outlined in toolkits, to determine High Conservation Values (HCV) as well as those set by sustainability standards including the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
As of 2023, a total of 25 groups of proboscis monkeys are monitored and protected in Wilmar's Sabahmas Plantation.
Restoration in action
Restoring and protecting riparian zones involve replanting native vegetation along riverbanks. These areas provide vital ecosystem services that support human communities, such as clean water, flood regulation and soil stabilisation. However, deciding which areas or plants need to be restored is easier said than done.
A few actors in the plantation sector have taken significant steps by investing resources and effort to restore riparian zones within their concessions.
Wilmar International (Wilmar) had restored the riparian zone along rivers like the Segama in Sabah in its oil palm plantations since 2009. The journey to restore these zones has been a delicate process.
Wilmar's first step was to identify degraded riparian areas and evaluate the degree of encroachment and biodiversity loss in line with the HCV Common Guidance Toolkit.
In the Segama river area, Wilmar's riparian restoration project aimed to rehabilitate and expand riparian buffers from 20 to 50 metres, increasing the total conservation area from 94 to 381 hectares.
As the river is located right next to the Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary, Wilmar's riparian restoration efforts aimed to maintain HCV 1, 2, and 4, which provide vital wildlife corridors for species like the endangered proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) and the silvered langur (Trachypithecus cristatus).
The increased riparian zone area was planted with over 68,000 seedlings from 19 native tree species between 2009 and 2014 to stabilise riverbanks, reduce sedimentation and enhance habitat connectivity for wildlife, including the aforementioned primates and other riverine species.
For the long run
Follow-through is key to ensuring the long-term effectiveness of these conservation efforts.
To sustain these initiatives, Wilmar uses advanced monitoring tools, including camera traps, to track the presence and behaviour of wildlife within rehabilitated riparian zones—this data informs Wilmar's conservationists on the best adaptive management practices.
Wilmar also collaborates with local communities to promote awareness of riparian conservation's ecological and economic benefits. The programmes include educational outreach and directly involve local stakeholders in restoration activities.
A subsequent Primate Monitoring Project, launched in 2015, revealed stable populations of the proboscis monkeys and a growing number of silvered langurs, indicating the success of the restoration in supporting wildlife populations and their habitats.
Wilmar has also taken steps to ensure that riparian zones are protected from further degradation by enforcing strict land management practices at its plantations. By setting aside designated areas for conservation and restoration, Wilmar is helping to safeguard these valuable ecosystems and promote the long-term sustainability of its operations.
Wilmar strongly believes that preserving biodiversity ensures that these natural areas continue to provide crucial services that benefit both the environment and local communities.
As we work towards a sustainable future, the protection of riparian zones will remain a critical step in achieving global environmental goals while demonstrating that People, Planet, and Prosperity can thrive together.
Find out more on Wilmar's sustainability, click here.
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