A Safe Home for Malaysian Orang-utans
One of the ongoing nature conservation projects of WWF Malaysia involves the orang-utan. Also known as the man of the forest, the orang-utan is among the most endangered Malaysian wildlife species.
The orang-utan project was launched in 1998 and aims at maintaining and improving a suitable new habitat for the species. A lot depends on research on how well the orang-utans can cope in secondary rain forests as opposed to primary rain forests.
"If the studies confirm our belief that the orang-utans can survive and prosper in secondary rain forests, then we have good grounds to further promote the conservation of these forests," says Melinda U from WWF Malaysia's Corporate Marketing unit. In concrete terms this means managing such forests well, putting a stop to forest fires, and avoiding fragmentation.
Cooperating with WWF to Raise Awareness
Nokia Malaysia is among the sponsors of the orang-utan conservation project, which is carried out in Sabah near Sukau. Apart from generating funds for the project, our cooperation with WWF aims at raising awareness of environmental issues on a local and global level.
"The project is progressing well," says Melinda U. "As a general rule, WWF Malaysia only uses collaborators that are genuinely committed to the conservation of nature. We're not in the market for green washing companies, but seek out organizations with progressive thinking and a genuine interest in doing something positive for the environment."
Nokia Malaysia encourages its staff to get involved in the actual project work. Employees can visit the project site and see for themselves what the challenges of rainforest conservation are. Moreover, WWF's Malaysia project aims at enhancing the degree of public awareness about environmental issues.
Nokia in Malaysia and WWF Malaysia have organized joint projects in the past. A couple of years ago in Malaysia, Nokia produced a limited edition of mobile phones with WWF covers. For every deal made, a certain percentage of the price was donated to WWF.