Restoration of Forest Biodiversity, Carbon Sequestration and Enhancement of Ecosystem Services Within The Conservation Set Asides of the Sapong Estate
With RM2 million in funding from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) and strong support from SD Guthrie (SDG) as estate manager, the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)-led forest restoration programme at Sapong Estate Guthrie is now fully underway. Under the leadership of Ts. Dr. Elia Godoong as Principal Investigator, the initiative has mobilized a full research team and officially entered its most intensive field phase — with all 9 postgraduate students now actively conducting research on-site.
This multidisciplinary effort brings together ecologists, biostatisticians, hydrologists, entomologists, zoologists, and sociologists in a shared mission to restore and study the complex dynamics of tropical forest ecosystems within a working oil palm landscape. The programme focuses on integrated themes that include terrestrial and riparian forest restoration, aboveground and belowground carbon stocks, hydrological functions and stream health, vegetation recovery and structure, insect ecology, and biodiversity across both flora and fauna. Equally important is the social research component, which explores the perspectives, participation, and wellbeing of local communities connected to the landscape.
What makes this effort impactful is not only the science, but the intention behind it. This is a restoration programme rooted in data, but designed for action — to inform sustainable practices in plantation landscapes, guide future environmental policy, and promote community-inclusive conservation. Research outputs will contribute to evidence-based models for tropical restoration that can be replicated elsewhere in Malaysia and the region.
The Sapong Estate is becoming more than just a research site — it is a living laboratory where disciplines converge, ecosystems are restored, and people are empowered. This is science with purpose, and restoration with lasting impact.
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Elia Godoong 