Laporan oleh Ahmad ‘Aizat Azuri, Eksekutif Pemuliharaan dan Kemampaman
Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) bersama Jabatan PERHILITAN dan FELDA telah mengadakan siri lawatan tapak yang berpotensi bagi projek pembiakbakaan spesies mangsa harimau malaya pada 7 hingga 10 April lalu.
Enam tapak berpotensi itu terletak di Johor iaitu FELDA Bukit Tongkat, di Pahang iaitu FELDA Keratong 1 dan 2, FELDA Jengka 6 dan FELDA Lepar Utara 2 serta di Negeri Sembilan iaitu FELDA Pasoh 4.
Inisiatif diterajui MPOGCF ini adalah sebahagian daripada usaha memperkukuh pemuliharaan biodiversiti negara melalui pendekatan berasaskan landskap dengan memberi tumpuan kepada pemulihan rantaian makanan ekologi melalui pengukuhan populasi spesies mangsa sebagai komponen penting dalam menyokong kelangsungan harimau malaya di habitat semula jadi.
Lawatan tapak ini disertai Bahagian Konservasi Ex-Situ Jabatan PERHILITAN yang bertanggungjawab memastikan setiap lokasi yang dicadangkan dinilai secara menyeluruh berasaskan aspek saintifik dan keperluan konservasi, termasuk kesesuaian habitat, tahap keselamatan dan biosekuriti, risiko penyakit serta keselarasan dengan pelan pengurusan spesies di peringkat nasional, bagi memastikan pelaksanaan projek adalah terkawal, berkesan dan mampan.
Manakala FELDA diwakili Jabatan Penyelidikan, Pembangunan dan Kelestarian FELDA serta Pengurus Wilayah dan Pengurus Rancangan di setiap lokasi yang terlibat bagi memastikan penyelarasan di peringkat lapangan dapat dilaksanakan dengan berkesan. Penglibatan FELDA sangat signifikan kerana kawasan FELDA merupakan landskap komuniti sawit berskala besar yang bersempadan dengan kawasan hutan dan habitat semula jadi, sekali gus menjadikannya kaedah strategik untuk mengintegrasikan aktiviti pertanian sawit dengan usaha pemuliharaan biodiversiti, di samping membuka ruang penglibatan langsung komuniti peneroka dalam Program Konservasi Harimau Malaya.
Melalui pendekatan ini, haiwan yang diternak sekiranya berjaya membiak akan melalui proses penilaian lanjut sebelum anak-anak haiwan ternakan diserahkan kepada Jabatan PERHILITAN untuk tujuan pelepasan semula ke habitat liar yang menjadi kawasan taburan harimau malaya, sekali gus menyokong usaha pengukuhan populasi mangsa di habitat semula jadi.
Spesies mangsa yang terlibat dalam inisiatif ini termasuk rusa sambar (Rusa unicolor), pelanduk (Tragulus javanicus) dan landak raya (Hystrix brachyura) yang merupakan komponen penting dalam rantaian makanan ekologi harimau malaya.
Inisiatif ini secara keseluruhannya mencerminkan pendekatan konservasi yang lebih menyeluruh dan bersepadu, yang bukan sahaja menumpukan kepada spesies utama tetapi turut memperkukuh ekosistem sokongan, di samping memastikan penglibatan aktif pelbagai pihak termasuk agensi kerajaan dan komuniti peneroka FELDA dalam usaha memastikan kelestarian biodiversiti negara untuk jangka panjang.
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Report by Ahmad ‘Aizat Azuri, Conservation and Sustainability Executive
The Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF), in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) and FELDA, conducted a series of site visits to potential locations for the Malayan tiger prey species breeding project from 7 to 10 April.
The six potential sites are located in Johor (FELDA Bukit Tongkat), Pahang (FELDA Keratong 1 and 2, FELDA Jengka 6, and FELDA Lepar Utara 2), and Negeri Sembilan (FELDA Pasoh 4).
This MPOGCF-led initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen national biodiversity conservation through a landscape-based approach, with a focus on restoring the ecological food chain by enhancing prey species populations as a key component in supporting the survival of the Malayan tiger in its natural habitat.
The site visits were joined by the Ex-Situ Conservation Division of PERHILITAN, which is responsible for ensuring that each proposed location is thoroughly assessed based on scientific considerations and conservation requirements. These include habitat suitability, safety and biosecurity levels, disease risks, and alignment with national species management plans, to ensure that project implementation is controlled, effective, and sustainable. FELDA was represented by its Research, Development and Sustainability Department, as well as Regional Managers and Scheme Managers at each respective location, to ensure effective coordination at the field level. FELDA’s involvement is highly significant, as its areas represent large-scale oil palm community landscapes that border forested areas and natural habitats. This makes it a strategic platform for integrating oil palm agricultural activities with biodiversity conservation efforts, while also providing opportunities for the direct involvement of settler communities in the Malayan Tiger Conservation Programme.
Through this approach, animals that are successfully bred will undergo further assessment, and their offspring will be handed over to PERHILITAN for reintroduction into the wild, particularly within areas that fall under the Malayan tiger’s distribution range. This, in turn, supports efforts to strengthen prey populations in natural habitats.
The prey species involved in this initiative include the sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus), and Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), which are key components of the Malayan tiger’s ecological food chain.
Overall, this initiative reflects a more comprehensive and integrated conservation approach that not only focuses on the flagship species but also strengthens the supporting ecosystem, while ensuring the active participation of various stakeholders, including government agencies and FELDA settler communities, in safeguarding the nation’s biodiversity for the long term.
