The original of this article was written in Japanese and can be found here.

As part of its CSR activities, Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. has been implementing the “Takasago Forest” Rainforest Restoration Program in partnership with the Japan Malaysia Association (JMA) since 2018, on the campus of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in Sarawak. The program’s goal is to establish a model rainforest on the university campus — one that students can use for research into forest restoration — and in doing so contribute to reforestation and rainforest conservation across Sarawak and Malaysia.

To that end, a 10-hectare plot within the UNIMAS campus has been secured for the project. In Phase 1, completed through 2023, the program cultivated and planted 25,000 seedlings, carried out ongoing maintenance of the planted trees, supported student research activities, and held an annual tree-planting ceremony.

Even during the period of activity restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, work that could be continued — such as seedling cultivation and maintenance — was kept going. Since last year, the program has returned to its full schedule of activities.

Phase 2 began in 2024, launching a new five-year plan. Within the grassland areas of the Takasago Forest plot, pioneer species will be planted to restore the forest floor, alongside native Dipterocarpaceae species and fruit trees, with the aim of recovering a diverse and layered forest ecosystem.

In the secondary forest zone, endemic Sarawak species, fruit trees, and other useful species — including aromatic timber trees — will be planted, with the long-term ambition of creating a living showcase of Sarawak’s tropical rainforest. The program will also install informational signboards, walking paths, and tree identification plates, transforming the Takasago Forest into a venue for forest research, environmental education for local schoolchildren, and a place where members of the community can learn about the importance of forest conservation and restoration.

Tree-Planting Ceremony

On Saturday, November 23 of last year, a tree-planting ceremony was held at the Takasago Forest site, drawing 120 participants: students, faculty, and staff from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak; local primary school students; members of the Takasago Thermal Engineering Group; and JMA representatives based in Malaysia.

The event opened with remarks from a representative of UNIMAS’s Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, followed by a greeting and company introduction from a Takasago Thermal Engineering Group representative, and an explanation of the project from the program coordinator. All 120 participants then joined together to plant 1,000 seedlings from 10 species of native Dipterocarpaceae and native fruit trees. For the primary school students — attending for the second consecutive year — it was a valuable hands-on opportunity to learn about environmental conservation. After the planting, members of the Takasago Thermal Engineering Group toured the site to see how the trees planted in earlier years had grown.