Feature Stories
Nature-based Solutions
Environment 30 October 2020
The Planet is facing numerous threats, and the phrase ‘climate change’, sounds rather a little too gradual when what scientists are talking about could be catastrophic for humanity. The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been rising since the industrial revolution and are now at their highest level in about 4 million years. The planet’s average temperature has rocketed since the second world war as consumption and population numbers have risen which has lead to more energy being retained in the atmosphere, making extreme weather events more frequent and intense. Sea levels are inexorably rising as ice melts and warmer oceans expand. One in five people in the world could eventually see their cities submerged, from New York to London and Shanghai.
Environmental activists Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot produced a short film in 2019 highlighting the need to protect, restore and use nature to tackle the climate crisis. Living ecosystems like forests, mangroves, swamps and seagrass can pull enormous quantities of carbon from the air and store them safely. This is also known as nature-based solutions, which are actions that harness the power of nature to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also help us adapt to the impacts of climate change.
YTL Group has undertaken several nature-based solutions in line with SDG 13 – Climate Action which is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts as well as SDG 15 – Life On Land which is to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation as well as to halt biodiversity loss. In support to SDG 17 – Partnerships For The Goals, YTL Group works with various parties through partnerships and/or collaborations to enhance the implementation of nature-based solutions.
In 2014, YTL Corporation planted 100 trees at Sentul Park under Lay Yong Grove Tree Planting Programme. YTL Corporation also initiated a Tree Planting Programme in 2018 during which 100 trees were planted at Sentul Park and additional 400 trees are slated to be planted in the near future. At Gaya Island Resort (GIR), a mangrove nursery was established in 2014 to enrich the habitat along the coastline. Since then, 3,000 mangrove saplings were sowed and additional 500 seedlings were propogated. GIR also embarked on a seagrass cultivation programme in 2018 and established a seagrass nursery which aims to revive and propagate the seagrass habitat around the island.
With the vision to preserve and improve ecosystems of the coastal areas at Probolinggo, East Java, YTL Jawa Timur (YTLJT) engaged with various stakeholders in 2013 to carry out the Randutatah Mangrove and Sea Pines Planting Programme. To date, YTLJT has planted over 175,042 trees of various species, creating a beautiful mangrove forest stretching along part of the 55 km coastline. In collaboration with Bermi Village Enterprises (Bumdes Bermi), YTLJT also contributed to conserving and improving the natural environment near Bermi Village through tree planting and various conservation activities. A total of 1,599 trees were planted in Bermi Eco Park, Probolinggo, utilising an area of five hectares. As a result, YTLJT planted 176,641 trees which have sequestered 185,550 kilogram of carbon dioxide to date.
The winning idea of #YTLBIGGIE 2017 – Save a Tree, Plant a Tree by Phil Bakerian was adopted by Wessex Water in partnership with Woodland Trust as part of Wessex Water’s efforts to offset paper billing. It sprang from an original idea to plant trees when customers signed up for e-billing. The proposal has now developed into something that will be sustainable for the long term and also involves their staff in planting trees to restore the riverside habitat in Wilsford, Wiltshire.