MCIS Insurance Berhad (MCIS Life) has pledged RM1 million towards the cause of planting 5,000 endemic rainforest trees within the locality of its pioneer sustainability site known as the MCIS Life Legacy Forest in Sireh Park, Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
A significant expansion to its pilot project announced back in 2019 which witnessed the planting of the initial 1,280 saplings between the year 2020 and 2022 at the same location, the new addition would raise the number of endemic rainforest species on site to more than 45 types.
Mohammad Nizar Idris, Chairman of MCIS Life said, “This is our pro-active contribution towards helping conserve and protect the environment to help mitigate the effects of climate change, after close monitoring of our pilot project’s impact over the past three years.”
“Essentially, we are planting the seeds for the future because taking concerted actions in the fight against global warming is a collective responsibility and we are leading the way to stem the loss of biodiversity through the planting of carefully selected endemic rainforest trees which are known to be of great help with carbon offset,” he added, after unveiling the MCIS Life Legacy Forest signage at Sireh Park.
The new 5,000 saplings, which are presently being planted in stages with the aim of completion by August 2023, combined with the existing 1,280 trees on site are collectively expected to help off-set approximately 567 tons of carbon by the year 2029 as the trees stabilise and mature over time.
The latest tree planting initiative is supported by a strategic partnership between MCIS Life and The Nusajaya Natural Heritage Trust (TNNHT), a non-profit organisation which owns and operates Sireh Park, a sustainable, world-class natural heritage park focusing on conserving, documenting and promoting the naturally existing plant biodiversity in the area.
MCIS Life’s annual report for the period ending 31 December 2022 reports that the pilot initiative involving 1,280 trees have contributed to an estimated 30.03 tons of carbon offset for the reporting period, an increase from the estimated 17.6 tons noted as of 31 December 2021.
